Shadows of the Past
by D-Chan3
Summary: AU-Karou's 26, rest of characters are normal ages. Rumors of a past assasin have resurfaced...only this one has eyes like the Battosai, yet they are aqua in color....who is this assasin and what haunts hisher past? What's hisher connection to Karou?..KK..
1. Prologue

Shadows of the Past

Inside the Kamaya Dojou in the middle of the night a figure dreamed while tossing and turning in their sleep.  
  
A woman's plea......

A whimpering child.................

The sound of a blade slicing through the air.............

A thudding noise echoed through the dream as the blade met flesh..........

The screaming began as blood sprayed in wide arcs to splatter the roadside................

Eyes, bluer than the morning skies glowed through the darkness of the dream. A feeling of dread shook the sleeper as the once innocent eyes of a child, changed; dulled and then, they glowed aqua with the promise of death!

The dream changed as another scene began to take shape:

A shadowed face that resembled that of the child...yet older, colder and...deadlier..............

The clashing sounds of swords and the sound of blood as each drop hit the ground........

Loud booms shook the air and the crackling sound of fire rang through the night. Sounds of men screaming as they died while the figure smirked coldly before the slaughter continued........

The dream shifted:

The scene zoomed in to reveal the streets of Kyoto. Shadowy figures danced on the walls of some buildings. The scene changed again, revealing the face of the Battousai as he fought off his attackers. His back facing a wall as the leader quietly approached from above. The Battousai was oblivious to the oncoming danger from above. Suddenly an unknown shadow detached itself from the darkness. The leader of the group raised his katana for the killing blow and brought it down with a loud whistling sound as it descended for the Battousai's head.

The katana's decent was halted by another katana, blocking its deadly decent before the leaders katana met with flesh. It was pushed back with a strong shove. Quickly, before the leader could recover, the shadow hikitori slashed downwards in a violent motion, cutting the leader deeply. The leader fell back with a cry before regaining his equilibrium and running for his life while shouting, "I will find out who you are and when I do, you will die!"

The shadow hikitori paused, breathing steadily while unconsciously, it flicked its wrist to rid the blade of blood. Bunching strong leg muscles, the Shadow Hitokiri prepared to retreat, but was halted by the Battousai's voice, "I thank you for your aid. I will repay you if I may." The darkness concealed the figure completely to the Battousai's eyes, taking another step closer, he asked,"Who are you?"

The Shadow Hitokiri glanced backwards, glowing aqua eyes met amber and the shadow laughed softly at the Battousai's slight start of surprise at the sight of its glowing eyes before replying in a disguised tone, "I will take you up on that offer someday Battousai, but for now, consider me a friend.....but you may call me Shadow for short. I'm known by the title that was given to me by the people, they call me, The Shadow Hitokiri or Shadow blade. I'll be seeing you around....." With those words, the glowing eyes disappeared and the Battousai tried in vein to find the shadow's ki, but he could not.

The person was jolted out of their dreams by a loud boom of thunder that shook the walls of the doujou. Sweat glistened on their skin as the figure lifted its hands to cover its face. Breath escaping starving lungs in harsh gasps, the figure shuddered as a foreboding chill crawl slowly up its spine. "Why! Why can't I shake this dream? It has been twelve years since I fist had this ...this nightmare....why does it haunt my nights! Why can't I have peace! I left the war early and made sure that my tracks were covered. Why now?"

Rolling out of bed, the figure lit a taper, reaching under a loose floor board the figure's hand searched briefly before grasping the hilt of a katana; bringing the weapon into view, the figure tried to drown out the memories of their recent dream. "My past life....why does it haunt my dreams?.....and why are my memories of the past starting to haunt my nights? Is it because of what I once was? This feeling..." the figure shook its head while another bloody memory ran through its mind and another shiver ran down its spine, "I feel like there's going to be trouble...but, I don't know if I should go back to being that.....my friends...I can't be what I once was. I don't know what to do........"

A feeling of strong foreboding made the figures fingers tighten on the sheathe on the katana as more memories of the past began to surface, one name in particular passed the figures lips in denial, "No! I can't go back to being the Shadow Hitokiri! But, I must protect the ones I love even if it means revealing my secret."  
  
Shaking its head in denial, the figure sent up a prayer to the distant heavens as a premonition of danger shook its soul, "Please Kami, please protect my friends and let me make the right decision....I have a feeling that trouble is coming and I'm at the center of it...."

AN: Well what do you think? Just who is this person? Should I continue or do you want to find out who this new assassin is? I've rewritten this prologue because I wasn't satisfied with it at first. Let me know what you think! I need at least ten reviews to continue! 


	2. Good Morning!

Chapter 1: Stange encounters.

A knock at the shoji doors was the first thing that Karou became aware of before a voice called out, "Miss Karou, it's time to get up and eat. That it is."

Rolling over, Karou pulled her covers over her head and mumbled sleepily, "Five mrrrre minutesssss, Kennnnshhiiin." And then promptly went back to sleep.

On the other side of the door, Kenshin frowned in concern before deciding to brave the lions den. Opening the door, he took a cautious step inside while unconsciously scanning the room for hidden dangers. Finding none, Kenshin glanced towards the rooms lone occupant and had to bite back a laugh at the site of a large lump buried under a pile of covers. If he didn't know that this was Karou's room, he'd have been puzzled as to what it could be that was currently residing inside. Steeling his expression to hide his amusement, Kenshin knelt down next to her and replied, "Karou-dono, you promised to meet Tae-dono today at the market. That you did."

"Mmmmmmm" The lump under the covers moaned. Burrowing deeper it mumbled, "Gowayyyy. Lemmie sleeepppp."

Kenshin worried his lower lip and asked, "are you not feeling alright, Karou-dono?"

"Mmmmmfffffnnnnn," came the mumbled response followed by a loud snore.

Kenshin's lips twitched in amusement, he thought that her snoring was kind of cute. Leaning closer, Kenshin placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently, "Karou-dono, Tae-dono will be most upset with you if you're late. That she will."

A loud snore was his answer as Karou rolled over and snuggled deeper into her bed. Sighing, Kenshin tried to figure out what could have made Karou-dono so tired. Then, he remembered the storm and thought, _"Karou-dono is afraid of thunder that she is. She might not have slept well last night."_ Shaking her a little more vigorously, Kenshin asked with concern lacing his tone of voice, "Karou-dono, did you not get enough sleep last night?"

Karou moaned in defeat and rolled over while flinging the covers off of her head and groaned her reply, "No. I only managed to get back to sleep after the storm had passed. I didn't want to bother you or Yahiko last night with my fears."

"Sessha does not mind, Karou-dono. Sessha would have stayed with you if you had wanted. That I would," Kenshin replied with a smile. Standing, he slowly made his way out the door while calling over his shoulder, "Sessha's going to wake Aioshi and Misao now. That I am. Sessha will serve breakfast in twenty minutes so you better hurry. That you should." With those words, Kenshin walked out the door and down the hall towards their guests rooms.

"Alright, I need a bath first," Karou replied while quickly gathering her things and dashing out the door.

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Two hours later, found Karou and Tae talking while browsing through the multitude of Kimono's that were displayed. "....I don't know, Tae. I think I should get this blue one with the white cherry blossoms on it."

"Yes. That would be a good selection and it would match perfectly with your eyes." Tae smiled while fingering the soft fabric. I'm sure Ken-san would be stunned if he saw you wearing it, Karou."

"Tae!" Karou blushed bright red in embarrassment. "Kenshin isn't like that! Kami knows that I've tried dozens of times for him to notice me, but it's been three years and he still hasn't said anything!" Karou sighed dejectedly before continuing, "I don't know, Tae. Maybe I should just give up and find someone else to marry."

"Nonsense! I'm sure that Ken-san is just being shy. I'm sure he'll get up enough courage to ask you soon," Tae replied as she placed a comforting hand on Karou's shoulder. "Now, enough of this talk. Let's shop!"

"Ok. I think that I'll buy that purple Kimono that you pointed out to me earlier," Karou replied while moving towards another table where the Kimono was on display. Just as she was about to pick it up, she felt a cold shiver race down her spine. _"Someone is watching me," _she thought. She could feel a strong menacing presence over towards one of the stands on her left, lifting her head she acted like she was inspecting some of the other Kimono's while surreptisly glancing around out of the corner of her eye. After a few minutes, the feeling still wouldn't go away, but somehow manifested a feeling of evil intent. Shivering with apprehension, Karou said, "Um, Tae. I think we should go home. I'm not feeling well. I think I need to lye down."

"Alright. You should have Ken-san make you some tea. It should make you feel better."

"Yes. I will ask him," Karou replied as they started walking back towards the Akobeko. Once Tae was safely inside, Karou glanced around quickly as she tried to determine if that presence was still following her. Not sensing anything, she continued on her way. As she passed the spice shop, the presence returned. Not wanting to let her stalker know that she knew that she was being followed, Karou walked faster while pretending to glance at all the wares in the shops. _"I don't have my bokken with me so I'm no match for whoever it is,"_ she thought as her breathing increased and chills raced down her spine. Once she turned the corner, she began to run. The sound of footsteps running after her greeted her ears, sending fear racing down her spine and making Karou run all the faster. Turning another corner, she suddenly slammed into someone and screamed, "Aaaaaaa!"

"Oroooo!" came the matching cry of the person she had knocked into. Glancing upwards, Karou was greeted by the sight of Kenshin sitting on his rear and rubbing his chest. Quickly, he rose to his feet and held out a helping hand and pulled her up.

"Kenshin!" Karou cried while throwing herself into his arms and shaking like a leaf. "Thank kami you're here! someone's been following me," Karou cried white-faced with fear.

With those words, the rurouni mask slipped and the amber gaze of the Battousai appeared within Kenshin's eyes as he glanced around, checking for danger. Not seeing anything or sensing anyone, Kenshin, hugged Karou closer and replied, "Who ever it was has stopped following you the minute you met up with me. That they did." Quickly, Kenshin started walking her home as he continued speaking, "You will be safer at home where Sessha can watch you. That you should."

Karou shivered and clung tighter to Kenshin as they walked back to the doujou and nodded numbly in response.

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AN: Well, how do you like the first chapter. What could this presence be and why is it after Karou? Can Kenshin protect her or will she be put in harms way?

Read and review.


	3. Morning fun

Chapter 2: The next day.

The next morning as the sun poked its glowing face over the horizon, Karou awoke and began her search for her boarder so he could prepare some breakfast. "Kenshin?" Karou called as she poked her head in the kitchen. Seeing nobody there, she huffed in annoyance, "Muu!" before heading off the check the rest of the house.

"Kenshiiiiin....Kenshin where are you!" Karou called as she walked through the entire household and then the doujou while in search of her errant friend. "Muu," she cursed in frustration when here was nowhere to be found. Taking a deep breath, Karou decided to call a little bit louder and bellowed at the top of her lungs, "KENSHIN! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU!"

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Out back, contentedly washing the laundry and minding his own business was one Kenshin Himura. The roruni was lost in his thoughts about Karou's sweet lips and the way she moved when in the midst of battle. Kenshin blushed at the memory of Karou's rosy cheeks flushed with excitement as she swung her boken down to connect with her attackers head. Just the sight of her in action made his and the Battousai's desire to claim her for his own, stronger. So, he didn't hear Karou calling him for the first few minutes. But, he finally heard her when she bellowed his name, "KENSHIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!"

"Orooooooo!" he yelped, throwing up his arms in surprise and falling over backwards to land on his rear. The hakama that he had been washing, flew up into the air for a breif moment and then landed wetly, on his head.

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Hearing a faint exclamation of surprise, Karou smiled before heading outside. Rounding the corner, she stopped suddenly at the sight of Kenshin sitting in a giant mud puddle, the wash tub spilled over and what looked like a soaking wet hakama covering his head. "K...kenshin?" Karou snickered quietly and tried to hold in her laughter. Her control left her when she noticed that Kenshin was having trouble getting back up due to the slippery mud and she giggled. Moving forward to help his stand, Karou tried to surpress her gigles, but they errupted when Kenshin's foot slipped again and he landed on his rear with a loud splat. It was the expression of surprise on his face that finally broke her hard won control and she broke out laughing hysterically."Hahahahahahahaha......K-Kenshin......d-did I....s-startle you?" Karou stuttered out while gently removing the soaking wet article of clothing from his head.

"Oro!" Kenshin exclaimed once more as the hakama was suddenly removed from his head. Blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of the soapy water, Kenshin's eyes finally focused on a rosy checked Karou who was currently grinning down at him with sparkling eyes filled with laughter. "K...Karou-dono? I did not hear you coming. That I did not." Kenshin replied with a flush of embarrassment.

"Yes. I see that I managed to startle you," Karou replied before a giggle escaped her lips. "I have to admit that when I manage to do that you're usually deep in thought." Cocking her head to the right, Karou smiled sweetly before a devilish glint entered her eyes. "What were you thinking about Kenshin?"

"Oro," Kenshin squeaked out as his cheeks flushed a bright red. He remembered that he had been thinking about Karou's body before she had startled him. Kenshin knew that he couldn't tell her that so he tried to think of something else to say before she got suspicious."Sessha was thinking about yesterday. That I was." Kenshin managed to cover himself before she started asking more questions. "Why was Karou-dono being followed?"

Reaching out a helping hand, Karou steadied Kenshin as he got to his feet and nervously replied, "I don't know. Maybe it was someone who's after you through me. I mean, It wouldn't be the first time."

Frowning at the sudden spike in her ki, Kenshin tried to decipher its meaning but was distracted by Karou's soft hand that he was still holding. Flushing in embarrassment, Kenshin tried to force himself to let go, but he somehow managed to grip her hand tighter. His eyes flashed amber for a split second as his alternate personality arose; suppressed needs raced through his body and he fought it even as he pulled her closer and unconsciously brushed a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. "Then, I will stay by your side, Karou." He said, unconsciously leaving off the honorific as his assassin half mixed with the Rurouni half and all of his desires merged for a brief second before he managed to pull himself together. Clearing his throat, Kenshin took a step back and asked, "Why were you looking for Sessha, Karou-dono?"

Flushing in embarrassment, Karou took a step back and managed to stammer out her reply, "Um...i-it's time for breakfast, Kenshin. Also, after we eat, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to....ummm...." Blushing furiously, Karou tried to work up the courage to ask Kenshin if he'd like to go out with her.

"Yes, Karou-dono. Sessha will join you to go see that play you wanted to see, " Kenshin replied with a cheerful smile as he somehow figured out why she had suddenly become so shy. It wasn't very hard to guess what she was trying to ask him since Karou had been throwing hints at him for the past five days.

With a squeal of delight, Karou suddenly threw her arms around his neck and impulsively kissed him on his cheek and yelled, "Yatta!" Before, dashing off to her room to change into her new Kimono.

Eyes wide in surprised pleasure, Kenshin smiled wistfully while covering his cheek with one hand and sighed, "Karou...."


	4. The Date

Chapter 3: Breaking Point.

Later that evening as she finally finished dressing, Karou glanced towards the floorboard over in the corner of her room. Biting her lip, she made a split second decision and dashing towards it, she lifted the a loose board and extracted a few items. Taking a little bit of money would be a good idea just in case they stopped for something to eat. Then, she concealed the rest of her things so they would not be easily spotted. Quickly, she adjusted her shoulders to lessen her nervous tension. Smiling in satisfaction, Karou nodded, "There. That should do it," she muttered while shifting her shoulders once more. "I hope Kenshin won't notice that I'm hiding a few things." Karou sighed as she walked out of her room and made her way towards the front gate.

She didn't have to wait long before Kenshin, dressed in a midnight blue Gi and black hakama, met her with a cheerful, "Are you ready to go Karou-dono?"

Karou stepped out of the shadows of the gate and replied, "Yes. Let's go Kenshin. This play is supposed to be one of the best in Tokyo and I don't want to be late."

Kenshin froze while gasping inaudibly at the sight of Karou in a new Kimono. Her hair was done up like a geisha's with chopsticks holding her tresses in place and her make-up brought forth her most stunning features; her sparkling sapphire eyes. Blushing furiously, Kenshin tried to compliment her without stuttering, "Y-you l-look stunning t-tonight, that you do."

Karou smiled warmly at him and replied, "Thank you, Kenshin. You look very handsome yourself." Then, taking his arm they walked slowly towards the theater. As they walked, Karou surreptitiously searched the alleyways for danger and thought,_ "I hope that person from earlier doesn't bother us tonight. It would be a shame that Shadow would have to make an appearance. If Kenshin finds out, then I don't know what he'll do. Shadow's always close and watching my back for danger. He might not understand her. I'll just have to hope for the best."_

"...rou," Kenshin finished calling her name as he stared into her eyes.

Starting in surprise, Karou jumped while blinking rapidly to cover her shock at her thoughts being interrupted. Turning her gaze towards Kenshin she said, "I'm sorry Kenshin. I was lost in thought and I didn't hear you. What was it you said?"

Smiling, Kenshin replied, "That's all right, Karou-dono. I was just wondering if you would like to stop over at the Akobeko for dinner before the play starts. That I was."

Karou's eyes widened slightly as she processed his words and one thought ran through her head, _"Oh Kami! This is now an official date! I hope he knows that....but then, this is Kenshin we're talking about,"_ before she smiled broadly and replied with suppressed enthusiasm, "Yes, that would be wonderful."

Nodding his head, Kenshin steered their path towards the Akobeko while replying, "Then we shall eat first. I hope you're hungry." Suddenly, his alter personality called the Battousai thought, **_"And I hope to get another one of those kisses from Karou again."_**

Kenshin jumped slightly as that thought passed through his mind and replied, _"ORO! You better not even try that with Karou-dono! It's not proper! That its not!" _

_Battousai replied, **"And why not? She kissed me and I really like her! But you! You're too wimpy and proper to do anything!" **_

Frowning, Kenshin thought back at him, "That's because Sessha is not worthy and...."

"**_Come on! Wake up! You know you want her too! I've noticed the way you watch her when she lifts that bokken of hers. Or the way she fights? How about that time we walked in on her taking a bath! Kami! What a body! You can't fool me....I'm you, remember?"_**

"_But, that's not.......,_" Kenshin tried to interject.

**_"Besides, its been a few years that we've known her and we still haven't advanced beyond a few breif innocent touches! And I'm not counting the time we left to fight Shishio! That was only hugging her......I told you to kiss her, but you didn't listen! If you don't do anything soon, I swear I'll take over!"_**

Sighing mentally in defeat, Kenshin replied, "_Alright. I'll do something tonight after the play. But, if she beats us up....it's your fault!"_

_**"Fine. But, at least you can't say we didn't try anything,"**_ the Battosai replied and then finally went silent; content to watch events unfold from the corner of their mind.

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Dinner was a quiet affair, the food had been exceptionally good as well as the company. Karou sighed in contentment while gazing at her companion from the corner of her eye. Kenshin, it seemed, had insisted on selecting the choicest morsels of food and feeding them to her. This was totally out of character for her Rurouni and just the thought of it made her blush. Some nagging feeling in the back of her mind kept insisting that he was up to something. Karou sincerely hoped that he would continue this kind of attention all the time. _"I can't believe he's treating me like I'm his iinozuki. Only couples who are engaged to be married do this,"_ she thought.

Smiling, Karou reached out with her chopsticks to take the sushi from Kenshin, but he pulled it back, shaking his head with a small smile, he steered his prize towards her mouth, "Open up, Karou-dono," he whispered; his voice deepening slightly with desire.

Blushing two shades of red, Karou hesitantly opened her mouth and accepted the morsel before slowly withdrawing her mouth from his chopsticks. Glancing towards him from behind her eyelashes, she noticed a brief flicker of amber enter the depths of his eyes before it quickly disappeared. Shrugging off the occurrence, she held up her hand, "I'm sorry Kenshin, but I couldn't eat another bite."

"Good. I'm glad you enjoyed that. That I am." Kenshin stood, held out his hand and continued, "Let's go before we're late to the play."

"Alright," Karou replied as she followed him out the door, holding his elbow.

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Upon returning from the play, Kenshin was too engrossed in Karou to notice the moving shadows in the alley that they had just passed. Suddenly, they were attacked by a gang of thugs. Somehow, the leader managed to get behind Kenshin, swinging a metal club and hit Kenshin on the head with a loud crack!

"Ugh!" was all Kenshin said as he fell to the ground in a heap. Slowly a large puddle of blood began to surround his head and spread outwards.

Karou gasped his name in startled surprise as she watched him fall to the ground, "Kenshin!" Then noticing the spreading blood, she completely ignored her training in her worry over him, and dismissed their attackers as she took a few steps towards him. "Oh Kami. Kenshin!" Karou screamed, thinking that he was dead. She tried to run to his side, but suddenly and unexpectedly was shoved hard against a wall, her head smacked painfully against the wood, knocking her out. The thugs converged on Kenshin; one of them got a good look at his scarred cheek and gasped, "Do you know who this is!"

"What the hell are you talking about Tanaka?" a shifty eyed scar faced thug asked.

"Yeah. Why are you so excited about this mark?" another thug with a missing eye asked.

Rubbing his hands together, Tanaka grinned evilly and replied, "We just hit the jackpot boys. This man here is none other than the Battousai! I recognize that mark on his cheek. There are allot of people who would pay well for his head on a platter. Let's take care of him first before we bring the girl to our boss."

"We'll be rich!" Scar-face exclaimed while unsheathing his katana and raising it above his head; he aimed carefully for Kenshin's neck.

In the shadows of an alley, piercing aqua eyes opened and focused on its prey. Silently the figure gave a menacing growl when it saw the Battousai about to be killed. Pulling out a sword from concealment, the assassin known as Shadow attacked in a blur of blinding speed; a speed that matched Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi's style.

Steel met steel as a katana blocked the downward swing of the would be killers blade. Piercing aqua eyes glared balefully at Scar-face before the shadow grinned evilly. "Ahhhhh! Who the heck are you!" Scar-face screamed, but he received no answer except a menacing chuckle. In a move too quick to see, the shadow shoved back the thugs blade and decapitated him in an instant.

"Oh shit!..." The two thugs muttered while they backed away in fear before bolting down the street. A flash of white in the dark night appeared as the shadow grinned before chasing after the two fleeing forms. The shadow gave a chilling laugh as the reign of blood began.........


	5. Blood Bath

Hi Minna!

I'd like to thank everyone who've read my stories and reviewd! You know who you are....so thanks! My updating is going to be a little bit slow since I've gone back to college...so please bare with me. Thanks for your time....now....on to the story!

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Chapter 4: Who did it!

Five minutes later a shadow stumbled towards the downed redhead. Not a drop of blood covered its body or clothing, reaching out a hand, the shadow brushed its fingertips gently against his cheek before the pain in it's head became too much; stumbling, the shadow crashed against the wall in a dead faint.

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An hour later a tall figure walked down the street, whistling as it walked and locked deep in thought,_ "I've gotta make up an excuse to see the Fox lady. She's so cute when she's bossy.....Ah, what am I thinking about,"_ he sighed dejectedly, _"There's no way she'd like a bum like me....I mean all I do is loaf around and fight, but that's all I know. Who'd hire me, except the dock-masters for hauling cargo because of my strength."_ Shaking his head, the shadow known as Sano, glanced down the street and saw three lumps lying prone next to an alley.

Sano hurried towards the alley at a jog. Upon arriving, he spotted the decapitated body of a man and covered his mouth against the rising bile in his throat. "That poor sap. I wonder who could have done this?" he muttered, then glanced over towards the other two lumps; one was lying on the ground and the other against a wall. Peering closer, Sano gasped as he recognized the distinct red hair of his friend. Snapping his gaze towards the other shadow against the wall, he strained to make out its features, "I'd bet my own grandmother if I had one that, that's Jou-chan!" he muttered before shaking Kenshin's shoulder roughly."Kenshin!......Kenshin! Wake up!" Sano pleaded.

When Kenshin didn't respond, Sano searched for any visible injuries and then gasped in shock when he finally noticed the pool of blood by Kenshin's head. Kneeling on the ground, Sano reached out a hand and felt Kenshin's head for damage. Feeling a lump of ragged and torn scalp the size of a goose's egg, Sano wasted no time in grabbing the Rurouni's small frame and hauling it over his shoulder. "I've got to get him to the Fox Lady," he muttered as he made his way over towards the other figure. Once he was close enough to make out its features, Sano muttered, "Che! I knew it was you, Missy."

Suddenly a noise behind him alerted him to another's presence. Tensing for a fight, Sano whirled around with his fist swinging in an automatic defensive move. The small shadow ducked while screeching, "Hey! Watch where you swing that Rooster head!.....Geese! a girl can't even sneak up on you without the risk of loosing her head!"

Sano froze, eyes widening at the sound of that weasel voice "Misao! What the heck are you doing here!"

"What! Can't a girl go for a midnight spying mission once in a while?"

"You know what I meant and who were you spying on?" Sano growled.

Toe rubbing in the dirt, Misao replied, "I was spying on Kenshin and Karou of course, but then I fell asleep while they were eating dinner and......I kinda lost them for a while." Shifting her attention towards the lump on Sano's shoulder, Misao gasped, "What the heck happened to Kenshin!....wait a minute....where's Karou?"

Sano shifited to the right a bit so Misao could see Karou laying against the outside wall the warehouse and replied, "Apparently they were attacked by someone. My guess is that they knocked Kenshin out first before the little Missy here."

"Oh kami, Karou!" Misao knelt at her side and began examining her friend. Touching the back of her head, Misao could feel a lump on the back of her head. Glancing towards Sano she growled, "When I find out who did this.....!"

"Easy there, Misao-chan. I think that's already been taken care of," Sano replied while point his finger towards the headless corpse. "That poor guy over there is already dead, so I don't think there's much more to worry about."

Rising from her crouched position, Misao slowly studied the ground where the fight had occurred. Mumbling under her breath, she reenacted the fight scene in her mind. Frowning, she crouched closer to the ground and studied the different size sandal marks in the dirt. "Sano, according to what I'm seeing here, there was more than one attacker."

"What! Then, why the hell did they leave Kenshin alive or the missy here?"

"I don't know, but there are more tracks leading away from here. I think we might find out while we're getting them to Megumi's place. It appears that they head off in that direction," Misao replied as she stood and helped Sano hoist Karou over his shoulder while steadying Kenshin at the same time.

Sano gave a grunt of acknowledgment as he shifted to get a better grip on his cargo before setting off down the same path that the terrified thugs had taken. Misao followed closely while keeping an eye out for danger. They hadn't gone very far when the metallic smell of blood hit their nostrils. Covering her nose, Misao peered into an alleyway and gagged at the sight of two mutilated corpses on the ground, their individual body parts decorating the walls and ground of the alley. Quickly, she retreated, heaving at the same time, Misao tried not to throw up. "Oh Kami! That's disgusting! I don't know who did that, but you don't really want to see what happened to them, Sano. It's....its just too gross!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sano replied as he tried to go around Misao to get a good look.

Misao blocked him and replied, "Um, Sano....they've been mutilated...there's nothing in there that you could recognize as a human.....well except for one of the heads that wasn't split open like a melon."

Pausing, Sano cocked his head as he listened to Misao's description, before turning green as the brunt of the odor hit him. The stench was a mixture of blood, urine and other bodily fluids. Backing away, Sano replied," Come on Misao, lets get them to the Doc's and then you need to get Saito. I think we're going to have to bring the police into this."

"Hai," Misao replied as they turned their backs on the gruesome sight; quickening their pace, they traveled at a dead run for fifteen minutes before they reached the clinic.

"Doc! Come qucik......Kenshin and Karou are hurt!" Sano shouted as Misao opened the shoji doors and let him in with his precious cargo.

Megumi hurried over towards them; all the while assessing both of her patients conditions. "Quickly, lie them down over on those futons." She watched as Sano complied with her instructions before examining them physically. Finding the lumps on the back of both Kenshin and Karou's heads, she checked their pupils and sighed, "They both have concussions....judging by the size of these lumps. Kenshin's, though, is decidedly worse and it appears that he was hit with a piece of metal. The skin on his skull is split open and will need stitching." Rising to her feet, Megumi hurried about the room while gathering her surgical supplies.

"So they'll be all right?" Sano asked tentatively.

"Yes, they will be fine. The only major problem is when they will wake up. We can't let them sleep long with a concussion, but for now, I need to sew up Kenshin's head wound," Megumi replied as she bent over her patient with her needle. "So what happened?"

Sano took a deep breath and began to recite what he had learned so far. Neither noticed when Misao slipped out of the room to go and retrieve Saito.


	6. Recovery

Chapter 5

The next morning found two exhausted people in attendance of their patients who had yet to fully awaken. It had been touch and go throughout the night, but they had managed to keep both Karou and Kenshin from slipping into a coma. "I hope they'll awaken soon....I can't keep my eyes open much longer," Sano moaned while rubbing at his gritty eyes. His sleep deprived brain could barely form a coherent thought, but he forced himself to stay awake.

"Don't worry rooster head, they'll wake up soon," Megumi replied as she observed both of her patients increased movements. "Look, " she replied, pointing towards Karou's fluttering eyelids.

Sano directed his attention to Karou and smiled when he was greeted by two blue eyes, "Good morning there little missy. You gave us quite a scare last night when we found both of you out cold in an alley. What the hell happened?"

"Nnnn...," Karou moaned, blinking her eyes furiously as the pain in her skull from the sound of Sano's voice, became excruciating.

"Sano!" Megumi scolded. "Let her rest before asking her a lot of questions. I also need to give her something for the massive headache that is bound to occur with head injuries."

"But."

"No buts." Megumi interrupted before continuing, "We need to wait for Sir Ken to awaken before we can ask them anything."

Neither noticed the slight movement from the red hared Rurouni since they were too engrossed in arguing. However, they did notice the painfilled voice of their red hared friend, but his growled words startled them completely, "Shit...what the hell hit me?"

With a gasp of surprise, both Sano and Megumi whirled around to stare at Kenshin. Megumi moved closer to inspect her patient, who was at the moment, sitting up on his futon with his bangs concealing his eyes. "Kenshin...how are you feeling?"

A loud growl was his only reply as a hand rose to cradle his injured skull. Slowly, his head lifted to reveal, the amber orbs of the Battousai, "I'm fine except for this fucking headache!" he replied, making both Megumi and Sano jump in fright. "When I find the basterd that hit me....I'll kill him!"

"Um...It's a little bit late for that," Sano interjected while moving away slightly as the Battousai's burning gaze drilled into him.

"What do you mean, Sano?" Battousai asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Well. They're already dead. Misau and I found them as we were carrying both you and Karou here to be treated," Sano replied before continuing, "Misau is getting Saito, but from what was left of those poor saps, well lets just say that they're not recognizable as human." Sano glanced at Battousai with a thoghtful expression and asked hesitantly, "Um...Battousai....why is did Kenshin let you out? I mean, there's no one to fight."

"At present, my other personality is out cold and won't be waking up any time soon." He grinned before continuing, "Hmmm....as for the mess back in the alley.....I've seen that before. There's only one Hitokiri that does that and it's Shadow."

Megumi helped Karou to sit up, "Who's this Shadow person? I've heard the rumors, but some say Shadow was a man; while others say Shadow is a girl."

Battousai frowned, "I'm not sure what gender Shadow is. But, I think I understand why Shadow killed them. Back during the Revolution, Shadow saved my life many times. For some reason, I think Shadow likes me because every time I got into a tight spot or seriously injured, Shadow helped me."

"Rumor has it that Shadow operated alone during the Revolution," Karou interjected. She left out allot of information because she didn't want to reveal that she knew too much. After all, she knew Shadow's true identity and needed to protect it.

"How could you not have known that you were being followed?" Sano asked Battousai, full of curiosity.

"I..." Battousai's reply was interrupted by the sound of the shoji doors sliding open.

"My guess would be that the Battousai was distracted by a pretty face," Saito replied, while smirking.

Narrowing his eyes, Battousai glared at the newcomer before replying, "So, what if I was? Its not like it didn't happen to you too before you married your wife."

"Yes, well....why don't you and Ms Kamaiya tell me about what happened." Saito said while changing the subject.

Nodding her head, Karou spoke up, "Sure,"she said while then launching into the details informing Saito of the events leading up to the point of Kenshin getting hit on the head to when she blacked out from hitting the wall of the warehouse. She left out the information about her date with Kenshin; after all, Saito didn't need to know about it. Finally going completely silent, she immersed herself deep in thought, "_What really did happen back there? I really hope that Shadow didn't kill those men.....,but if Shadow did do it, then it was to protect Kenshin. I know for a fact that Shadow likes Kenshin and the Battousai and even went so far as to follow them during the Revolution to make sure they were unharmed."_

".......rou," Sano said, while shaking her shoulder.

Karou started in surprise, "Huh? What is it?"

"I've been calling your name for the past five minutes. What's got you so distracted?" Sano asked, puzzled.

Blushing, Karou mumbled, "I was ah.....thinking about my date with Kenshin." Thankfully no one noticed her hesitation. Karou really didn't want to let them know about her secret. Bowing her head until her chin touched her chest, she leaned back into a unlit corner of the office and blanking her mind, Karou stared off into space while running last nights events through her mind.

For a brief moment in time, the Battousai stiffened, recognizing the aurora of the Shadow hikitori, but then he relaxed,_"No. Must be my immagination,"_ he thought, brushing it off as a fluke as it winked out just as fast as it had appeared. He returned his full attention towards the ongoing conversation. They began to discuss the earlier events of the day before and how they could meat with the Shadow Hikitori. So deep in conversation were they that none of them noticed the brief flash of aqua eyes from the shadows.


	7. Turning Point

Chapter 6

Deep in the underworld of Tokyo on the night of the attack a scar-faced man sat, deep in contemplation while his minions awaited his orders. Suddenly, he spoke, "So. The Shadow and the Battousai are both living in Tokyo. This could be most fortunate for me." Suddenly, the scar-faced man whirled around to face the room and shouted, "Juro!"

"Yes, Sir!" a ninja replied from the shadows.

"Where are the Battousai and Shadow staying?" scar-face growled.

"They are living at the Kimaya dojou, sir," the ninja replied.

"Good. Gather the men and have them meet back here. I have a plan."

"Yes sir!" the ninja bowed before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The scar-faced man grinned evilly before he began to laugh, "Hahahahahahaha! My revenge is at hand!"

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Several days had passed since the incident in the alley and so far there were no clues as to who had sent the men to attack Kenshin and Karou. The remains of the slaughtered men had been cleaned up, and every inch of the alley looked at for possible leads to the perpetrator. Saito had shown up at Megumi's and asked a few questions before casting a suspicious eye on Karou before leaving abruptly. The next day Saito had an investigation team on the case and scouring Tokyo for clues.

Meanwhile back at the doujou, Karou was slowly going though her forms while using a metal pole to strengthen her arms and to simulate the use of a real sword. Karou really hated the fact that she had grown lax over the years and with the lack of students in the doujou, she wasn't getting enough of a workout. "Damn! I have to get stronger!" she muttered, swinging the heavy pole in a downward chopping motion, grunting with the effort. She had been up since dawn and had confined herself to the doujou right after breakfast. Glancing outside, Karou judged that she had been practicing for over eight hours straight and by the grumbling in her stomach, she had missed lunch as well. Kenshin had gone over to police headquarters when Saito had sent one of his men to deliver a message and he still hadn't come back. Karou groaned at the pain in her muscles; yet, some instinct told her that something bad was about to happen and she needed to be in tip top shape to be able to help Kenshin or protect the doujou if Kenshin was away. "What if Kenshin gets hurt again?" she muttered, before growling in anger at the memory of Kenshin being hit.

Karou remembered a time when Shadow would laugh quietly; swinging her Katana faster and faster in the midst of a bloody killing field, littered with the bodies of the men she had slain. She remembered how, the heads would fly, as well as the body parts being separated from their owners sounded. Karou shuddered at those memories and tried hard to push them out of her thoughts, but they were persistent and refused to leave. "If these attacks continue, then I don't think Shadow will be able to completely maintain control." Karou wiped the sweat from her brow and started stretching to prevent her muscles from stiffening up. After fifteen minutes, she decided to take a nice hot bath to soak away the aches. Gathering her supplies, she walked out to the bathhouse and found that everything was already set up for her. Smiling, she murmured, "I wonder who.....Kenshin must be back. It's so nice of him to do this for me and I guess that he's the only one who understands what its like to practice for hours without a break....after all, he is the Battousai.

Stripping off her hakama and practice gi, Karou submerged herself in the steaming water with a sigh, "Oh, this feels so good. I know what would make it better...but I'm not a hentai and I will not force Kenshin to join me....." Karou's mind started to wander as she pictured a naked Rurouni entering through the bathhouse door and joining her in the bath. She could feel his hands as they gently ran over her shoulders, smoothing out the tension and bringing warmth to places that had lain dormant for the past twelve years. Suddenly, Karou was startled from her daydream by shouting and the sound of steel hitting steel.

"Karou! There are some strange men surrounding the doujou and they've managed to knock Kenshin out!" Yahiko's shouts echoed through the air.

Jumping from the tub, Karou growled angrily while pulling her hakama on. Lifting a loose floorboard, Karou reached deep within the recesses and grasped her fathers reverse bladed sword. Eyes flashing aqua and her voice suddenly deepening she whispered, "Whoever dared to enter my home without my permission and dared to attack my new family....is going to die."


	8. True Identity

Chapter 7

"Hey Kenshin....what's for dinner?" Sano called out good naturally as he entered the doujou, with the ever present fishbone between his teeth.

"Oro?" Kenshin jumped in surprise, he had been thinking for some time now and Sano had somehow managed to startle him. "Um...Sessha doesn't know yet, but Sessha was thinking of making Sushi with some rice balls and miso soup. That I was."

"Hmm, that sounds good...." Sano replied while sweeping the yard with his gaze. Frowning, Sano spoke up, "Hey, where's the missy?"

"She's taking a bath, that she is," Kenshin replied while standing and stretching.

"Why don't you go and take a peek....go on, I know you want to,"Sano teased while elbowing the Rurouni in the side.

"Oro! Sano! Sessha would not do something like that to Karou-dono, that I would not!" Kenshin replied while glaring at the ex-gangster.

"Yeah, I know and that's because she'd hit you so many times with that boken of hers that you wouldn't be able to see straight for a week!" Sano replied, grinning.

Eyes flashing amber for a brief moment, Batousai surfaced and replied, "It would be well worth it though," Startled Sano took a closer look at his friend, before Kenshin took control again and squeaked, "Oro! Sessha did not just say that, that I did not!"

"Ahuh,.....and your hair isn't red," Sano replied, sarcastically, grinning.

Ignoring Sano, Kenshin glanced at the sky, and tried to gage the time by looking at the position of the sun, shading his eyes with his hand Kenshin murmured, "Well, Sessha better start making dinner. Would you go and get Yahiko for me?"

"Sure. Should I get the Missy on my way back? I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I accidentally saw her naked, " Sano teased.

Eyes smoldering like amber fire, Kenshin and Battousai growled simultaneously, "If you do that then......we will hunt you down and hurt you badly!" before smiling his rurouni smile at his pale faced friend and walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Sano gulped and muttered, "....that was a bad idea to mention it even if I was teasing him. Man, both Battousai and Kenshin at the same time....." Sano gave off a little shiver of fear, before continuing, "boy are they possessive of Jou-chan." Turning, Sano went off in search of Yahiko.

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Half an hour had passed when Sanosoke had finally managed to locate Yahiko at the Akabeko, "Hey Yahiko-Chan! Kenshin said it's time for dinner!"

Growling in annoyance the former youkaza theif screamed, "DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"

"What ever you say, Yahiko-**Chan**!" Sano teased, emphasizing the last part while turning around and walking towards the doujou.

"I told you not to call me LITTLE!" Yahiko screamed as he took off after the ex-fighter. Catching up with him, Yahiko lunged for Sano's back, but missed as Sanosoke took off running down the street, teasing him all the way, "You look little to me and besides you're a kid!"

"I am not!" Yahiko yelled as he recovered his balance from his last attempt at catching Sano. "I'm almost twelve years old and I'm old enough to be a man!...so stop calling me little!"

Just as Sano was about to answer, a voice interrupted, "Hey guys!" Yahiko and Sano turned around to see both Aoshi and Misao heading their way. Smirking, Sano replied, "What's up weasel girl?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Misao yelled furiously at Sano while threatening him with one of her kuni's next to his throat.

"Misao," Aoshi's softly spoken word stopped the ninja girl in her tracks and caused her to withdraw, smiling and blushing cutely.

"Sorry, Aoshi-sama, but he really makes me mad when he calls me that......" Turning, Misao continued, "Anyway, we were on our way over to visit you guys at the doujou with some important information. Do you mind if we wait until everyone is present to tell it?"

"Sure. That's alright with us," Yahiko chimed in as he proceeded to walk the rest of the way back home. Misao and Aoshi quickly followed with Sanosoke bringing up the rear. Along the way they met up with Megumi, who had mentioned that she was on her way to visit Karou and Kenshin to check on their head injuries.

When they arrived at the dojou, they paused just outside the gates as several strange voices reached their ears. Slowly, they inched open the gates to see a large group of men surrounding Kenshin, each were armed to the teeth and upon closer inspection, Kenshin appeared to be hurt. One of the men in a dark blue hakama stepped forward and spoke, "Battousai, at last we meet," the man's eyes scanned the courtyard,"Where is the woman, I would like to get to know her better," he licked his lips in a suggestive manner."

Kenshin's eyes flickered to amber and narrowed; his voice lowered to a low growl as the Battousai emerged, "You will leave Ms. Karou alone or you will die!" He was determined to protect Karou with his life and if he needed to kill again, then, so be it.

"Enough! Sozuja, "a gravely voice interrupted them as another, taller man in green stepped forward from the shadows and spoke, "Our boss wants you and Shadow to suffer for what you did to him in the Revolution and we are here to carry out his orders."

"I suggest that you leave or you will never leave this place alive," Kenshin/Battousai replied coldly as he slid into a defensive stance.

The men charged as one as if given some unseen signal, several of them fell to the dull edge of Kenshin's sword. Whirling around, Kenshin blocked the strike to his stomach and then used Ryu Su Sen on three more of the ninjas heading towards the back of house towards Karou, effectively knocking them out. Before he could whirl around to take care of the others, something hard struck him on the back of the shoulder and neck, knocking him out.

As Kenshin began to fall, Aoshi, Misau, Sanosoke and Yahiko charged through the gate, each were intent on rescuing their friend. As he ran, Sano yelled, "Yahiko! Go warn the missy, she's in the bath house!"

Nodding, Yahiko called out, "Right!" and ran off towards the back.

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The scene that met Karou's eyes was a thing from her deepest nightmares. Several walls of the dojou were engulfed in flames and in the shadows cast by those flames, stood Yahiko, bruised, bloodied and badly wounded; judging by the way he held onto his bleeding stomach, it looked to be a serious injury. Karou's eyes flickered from blue to aqua and back again before they stopped so only the piercing aqua eyes remained; they were the eyes of a killer bent on protecting the ones she loved. Searching frantically with her glowing eyes, Karou tried to locate Kenshin in the confusion of battle. She breathed a slight sigh of relief as she saw Misao fighting against several of the intruders. Turning to face the gate, Karou noticed as Aoshi deftly wielded his kodatchi like a whirling deverish, gutting several ninja before avoiding the slashing blade of another.

A scream erupted from one of her guest rooms, causing Karou to whirl in that direction, only to notice Magumi fighting for her life against several street thugs. "Damit, Megumi!....I told you that you should have learned how to use a katana!" Karou growled as she started moving towards her friend to save her life; only to stop when Sanosoke grabbed both of the thugs by their heads and slammed them together. Karou could just make out their conversation from her perch on the roof as she continued to search for Kenshin.

"Sano! I could have handled them myself!" Megumi yelled while gesturing towards her unconscious attackers.

"Fox, you were gonna get hurt and to top it off, you don't know how to fight," Sano yelled while grabbing the arm of another ninja and throwing him back out into the yard to land on top of several charging ninjas.

Tuning them out, Karou noticed that one of the thugs who had dared to invade her home was standing directly behind Kenshin with his Katana raised for a killing stroke. Growling angrily, Karou darted forward faster than the naked eye could see and blocked the killing stroke with her blade. Her glowing eyes met those of the assassin and in them, he could see that he had just signed his death warrant.

"How dare you invade my home and try to kill Kenshin!" she growled angrily, narrowing her eyes further, she silently struggled to contain her darker half as it tried to take control. As the ninja freed his blade he managed to push her back several feet and then prepared to stab Kenshin in the heart; her darker half won and she moved with lightning fast reflexes, leaving only an after image where once she had stood. So fast were her movements as she killed the ninjas that she was nearly undetectable to all who had invaded the dojou, all except their leader, who was a master assassin in his own right. He attacked her without hesitation, pushing her back several feet and managing to wound her in the process.

Growling low, she gripped her side in pain and spoke, "Who are you and what are you doing in my home?" she circled around, making sure to put Kenshin behind her so she could guard him against the assassin. She could see that he was waking up and would be disoriented for a bit, but he'd recover quickly. She knew that he was listening and was waiting for his chance to strike.

"I am Juro and you must be Shadow."

Karou dreaded telling the truth since she saw Kenshing getting to his feet. As Kenshin took a step forward to come to her rescue, she reached her decision and nodded. She could hear her friends gasp in surprise as she spoke, "I don't go by that name anymore."

Kenshin was completely shocked, he couldn't believe that his Karou was an assassin. Shaking his head, he whispered in denial," No. You can't be......and yet all of the signs point to the truth, but I have to know." Gathering his courage, Kenshin asked, "Karou, you're the Shadow Hikitori?"

Never taking her eyes off of her opponent, Karou smiled sadly and replied, "I'm sorry you had to find out this way Kenshin, but I couldn't let anyone know of my past."

Eyes flickering to amber, he lowered his head so that his bangs covered his eyes and whispered, "Oh, Koshi."

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Authors Note:

Well what do you guys think? Is the action and plot getting interesting? Or should I heat it up a bit more? I hope you are enjoying the story!


	9. Battles and Split Personalities

Chapter 8

When Karou detected the sorrow in Kenshin's voice, her eyes faded back to their normal blue and she smiled, sadly. It hurt her to hear that he was suffering, but she knew he would forgive her eventually. "Please forgive me, Kenshin. I had to do it. There was no other way.....Shadow.....No....I had to fade into society and let go of my past. My whole mission in the war was to protect the people and.....to keep you safe. That, is what I was trained for by our master." Karou shifted slowly to the left, all the while keeping her guard up and keeping Juro in her sight.

"WHAT! Hiko taught you!" Sano yelled in surprise

Clutching his stomach in pain,Yahiko gasped, "No way! That's impossible! How could he have trained bisu!"

"Yahiko!"Megumi exclaimed when she noticed the amount of blood soaking Yahiko's gi and rushed towards him to check how serious it was, "Let me see that." Getting a good look at it, Megumi quickly pulled out a roll of bandages from her bag that she had dropped earlier when she had entered the doujo and began wrapping Yahiko's stomach.

"Wow! Karou's the Shadow Hikotori! That's so neat!" Misao squealed, excitedly while rocking back and forth from her heals to the toes.

"Enough talk! Now, it's time to die!" the assassin yelled, he lifted his katana and charged. Juro ran towards his opponent with great speed, but not fast enough as Karou easily avoided his blade by flipping over him to land crouched on the ground, back facing him. Using the brief second of her opponents confusion, Karou lashed out with her leg in a back-kick, knocking Juro off balance, then whirled around to face him once more.

"Bitch!" Juro grunted at the force of her kick and winced inwardly, she had managed to bruise a few of his ribs. Whirling around, he brought his blade around to decapitate her, but their blades met with a loud clang.

"Bastard!" Karou growled coldly, narrowing her eyes, she pushed against his sword and tried to gain enough leverage for another attack. Growling, Juro increased the pressure as he tried to gain the advantage to overpower her, but with a flick of her wrist, she unlocked her blade and jumped back.

"Oro!" Kenshin gasped in shock when he heard that they had the same master and thought, _"When could that have happened? How could Shishou have trained Karou?....I remember now. Shadow didn't appear in the war until I was sixteen, so Hiko should have had enough time to train her.....but still....."_ He glanced up to see that both fighters were locked in a stalemate, narrowing his eyes, Kenshin watched her every move as he tried to determine if Karou was using the Hiten Mitsurugi style. Suddenly, she moved and his eyes widened in shock as he finally noticed that she was using the speed of the Mitsurugi school and a combination of the Kamaya Kashin style.

Karou quickly blocked a slash aimed at her leg, her eyes flared aqua once again as Shadow emerged. Flipping her blade so that the sharp edge pointed towards her opponent, she then used her speed to get behind the assassin and slashed at his back, cutting him deeply. The pain from his most recent wound caused Juro to cry out," Aaaaa!" before he fell to the ground to lay there unconscious. All of this happened within a space of a few minutes, faster than Sano, Yahiko, Megumi and Misao could see, but Kenshin and Aoshi saw and were suitably impressed with her speed and skill.

Taking a step forward Kenshin yelled, "Karou! Don't kill him!" but then he noticed her aqua bright eyes and knew that his words wouldn't be able to reach her. He was dismayed when he saw the blood fly through the air to spatter on the ground, his heart was torn, he didn't know what to do.

"He invaded my home and hurt my student and tried to kill you........" Shadow growled, angrily before continuing, "....he shall die for this!" the chilling tone in her voice sent shivers down the Kenshin-gumi's spines as they noticed her eyes.

_**"Heh, now I know why I liked her......she's so fierce, it's beautiful,"**_ Battousai murmured quietly in his mind as he reveled in the sight of blood and the sound of battle.

_"Sessha agrees that Karou-dono is beautiful, but Sessha is angry that she didn't tell us who she really was, but Karou-dono should not kill him."_Kenshin's Rurouni side argued heatedly. Growling angrily, Kenshin had watched as the battle progressed until both opponents were bleeding. Juro, however looked like he could barely stand due to his injuries and sure enough, he fell to the ground unconscious. Glancing towards Karou, Kenshin watched as her muscles tensed and then read the intent in her eyes; rushing forward, he blocked the killing stroke with his own blade, his amber eyes met with aqua and locked. "Why did you stop me, Battousai?" Shadow growled, angrily as she tried to unlock her katana from his reverse blade sword.

Kenshin blinked at her words and thought, "_She must have a split personality like me in order to be able to handle all of the people she's killed_." Focusing his attention back towards Karou, Kenshin felt a strong urge to kiss her, but managed to reign it in and growled, "You should not kill him, it isn't right! Let the police handle him!"

"He must die for hurting you and Yahiko! Let me kill him!" Shadow pleaded, her eyes flashing angrily as she gazed into his amber orbs. Battousai grinned mentally and purred, **_"Now that's my kind of woman! Fierce, willing to fight and loves to kill!"_** Kenshin mentally scolded his other half, _"Sessha doesn't think Karou-dono should kill again. The war is over and the police should handle them. Also, he'll lead us to the man controlling them. It would be a good idea to leave him alive, that it would."_ Battousai growled angrily at his other half's words, but he knew the Rurouni was right, _**"Fine! Let me take over and reason with her!"**_ Turning his attention back towards Karou, Battousai took control of their body and grinning, he growled quietly so only she could hear, "Koshi, I know how much you want to see his blood spilled, but you must think about who is really behind this. You can kill him later. Now, get ahold of yourself and let your other half take control!"

"No! I'll kill him now!" Shadow growled, pushing back against Battousai's blade in a struggle for dominance, but before she could break free, she was pushed up against a support beam on the egwa, effectivly trapping her.

_**"Damn! I'll have to distract her....but how...I don't want to hurt our koshi."**_ Battousai thought furiously for a solution before his Rurouni half stuttered, _"Um...S..Sessha thinks that giving Karou-dono a k..kiss might do it."_ Battousai grinned mentally and replied, **_"Good idea, I didn't know you had the guts to even suggest that. Besides, I've been wanting to do this for a long time." _**He focused his attention on her lips and putting enough power behind his sword arm, he knocked Shadow's blade aside. Then, he stepped forward so that he was leaning flush against her chest. "You are mine, Koshi!" he growled, before he captured her lips in a fierce kiss, distracting her and the rest of their friends as they watched both of them with wide, shocked, eyes.

A moan softly echoed through the night that went completely undetected as Juro pulled himself to his feet and glanced towards the two assassins that were locked in a deep passionate kiss. _"That bitch! She managed to seriously wound me. I must tell the boss that Battousai and the Shadow Hikitori have a few weaknesses," _Juro thought, smirking as he used their breif moment of distraction to make his escape. Neither combatants noticed as he slipped over the doujou wall and into the night.


	10. Disappearences

Chapter 9

"Mmmmmm," the low moan echoed through the courtyard as Shadow lost herself in the kiss. Her grip on the reverse blade sword loosened to the point where she could no longer hold it and it fell to the ground with a loud clatter. She buried her free hand in Battousai's hair, snapping his hair tie to allow his fiery locks to cascade around his shoulders in a fiery waterfall.

Sano was the first one to recover and let lose a loud wolf whistle, "Way to go Kenshin! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Ewww! Gross! Kenshin's kissing bisu!" Yahiko yelled from his prone position on the porch.

Misao stuck two fingers in her mouth and let lose a whistle louder than Sanosoke's and yelled, "Wahooo! Put a little bit more action into it and kiss her senseless!"

Aoshi turned from the scene and crossed his arms and murmured, "Misao you're too young to see something like this. Now turn around and let them have a bit of privacy."

"Aoshi-sama! I'm Sixteen years old! Why can't you see that I'm old enough......humph!" Misao pouted, crossing her arms and turning around, but she kept watching them from the corner of her eye.

"Ah, love is such a wonderful thing, "Megumi sighed before cocking her head as another deep throated moan erupted from Karou's throat. Raising an eyebrow, Megumi grinned laviscously as she watched Karou's hands crept around Kenshin to grip his bottom, possessively."They seem to be having so much fun, but we better stop them before they take this any further. Ohohoho!" Megumi laughed as two fox ears appeared on her head.

Sano glowered at Megumi and pointing at the kissing pair, replied, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. You saw how Kenshin's eyes were before he kissed her! I think he's still in his Battousai mode and he'll be pissed if we interrupt him."

Megumi glared at the ex-gangster and before anyone could stop her, she had made her way over towards Kenshin and Karou and tapped Kenshin on the back, "Ken-san. I think you should stop now or when Karou-chan becomes fully aware of what you're doing, she's going to knock you senseless."

Breaking the kiss, Battousai whirled around and growled at the intruder, "What?"

Megumi took note of his glowing amber eyes and took a step back and replied, "I said that you don't want to be doing anything further or Karou will clobber you."

Battousai opened his mouth to retort when suddenly he was shoved violently away from Karou. Turning around, he growled and was about to yell at the person who had pushed him, but froze when his eyes met those of two frozen blue chips of ice. Unconsciously, he took a step back and his control over his Rurouni half wavered enough for him to take over, "Um....Karou-dono, S..Sessha c..can e-explain."

"Keeeeennnnnnnssssssssshhhhhhhhiiiiiiiinnnnnnn! How could you do this to me!" Karou yelled, angrily. She knew that whoever had masterminded tonight's attack would strike again, so she was determined to protect her friends even if it meant leaving to save their lives. Clenching a fist, she clobbered Kenshin over the head. As he fell, she picked up her sakabotou and dashed towards her room where she paused briefly to pick up a few supplies. Then before anyone came to find her, she ran outside the gate and into the forest; heading straight for Hiko's mountain.

"Ororororo!" Kenshin moaned; his eyes went all swirly as he slumped to the ground.

Completely misunderstanding Karou's anger, Sano interjected, "See, Megumi told you Jou-chan would be upset about the kiss....." He grinned, suggestively and asked, So, how was it?"

Still reeling from the blow he had received to the head, Kenshin grinned, foolishly and remarked, "Sessha really enjoyed that kiss, that I did!"

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Outside the dojou, a man watched as Karou ran past him. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly determined that she was heading in the direction of Kyoto, "Hmmm, the boss will want to hear about this now that Shadow no longer has her friends around to help protect her." Turning, the man known as Juro slowly limped back towards his bosses headquarters on the south side of Tokyo.

It took him some time before he arrived, but he had managed even though his injuries pained him greatly. Kneeling, he waited for his boss to turn around and acknowledge him. Suddenly, the large man growled, "Report!"

"My Lord, we failed to kill both the Battousai and the Shadow Hitokiri.....however, we have managed to cause Shadow to run from her friends. Now, she is alone and vulnerable to attack. Do you have another plan?" Juro asked after he had finished telling his boss the details.

"I am very disappointed that you failed me, Juro." The Scar-faced man, known to his close friends by the name of Hirakowa Taka, growled, coldly.

Juro winced at his masters tone and bowed his head in defeat. He knew that his master never gave second chances to anyone in their organization, so he prepared himself for the killing stroke that would end his life. He was surprised, however, when his master didn't kill him, instead, he spoke, "You have one more chance since your news is most pleasing."

"Sir?"

Whirling around, Hirakowa Taka grinned evilly and replied, "We will hunt her down like you would hunt a buck, but this time, I will be joining in the hunt and bringing along our most skilled hunters......gather them and meet me outside in an hour!"

"Yes, Sir!" Juro replied, bowing. Quickly, he made his way out of the meeting hall and pulled aside a few of their most trusted messengers to send word that the hunters were needed. Once that task was accomplished, he stared into the night sky and growled, "I will not fail you again, master!"

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Several hours later, Kenshin sat on the egwa with his friends surrounding him and talking in low hushed tones. Shaking his head at his confused thoughts, he turned towards Sanosoke and asked, "Sano, can you go and get Karou? I think that she's had enough time to calm herself down."

"Sure, Kenshin. I'll go get Ju-chan," the ex-gangster replied, rising from his lounging position on the egwa and then walking off towards Karou's room.

"Ken-san?" Megumi called, interrupting his train of thought.

"Hai, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin replied.

"What are you going to do about Karou?" the doctor asked, curiously.

"Sessha is not sure, but....Sessha will find out when he speaks to Karou-dono. This is not an easy thing to handle and finding out that Karou-dono used to be an Hitokiri like Sessha is quite a shock." Kenshin sighed as he pushed back his bangs with one hand and then stared off into the night sky before continuing, "Sessha....no, I don't know what I will do, but there has to be a reason for what is happening to Karou-dono."

Aoshi nodded in agreement before interjecting, "Yes. I agree with Battousai. According to my contacts in Kyoto, the Shadow Hitokiri had many enemies, but there was only one that managed to avoid capture by the government. I believe you've fought him before, Battousai."

Glancing back towards Aoshi, Kenshin inquired, "I've fought him before?......when?"

"Do you remember the time when you were almost killed by a large group of skilled swordsmen?" Aoshi asked.

Furrowing his brow, Kenshin thought back towards the revolution and his many battles. Suddenly, a memory surfaced, "Yes. I remember now. I was in a really tight spot and had several injuries. The leader of the group had managed to sneak up on me and was about to kill me when Shadow... no Karou-dono saved my life by deflecting the strike." Frowning, Kenshin cocked his head and asked, "Why do you ask?"

Smiling grimly, Aoshi replied, "Because he's the one who's after Karou and he's determined to take her life."

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Standing in front of her door, Sano knocked insistently and called, "Ju-chan! Please come out! We really need to talk to you!" Sano waited a few moments for a reply, but only silence greeted his pleas. "Enough is enough, she'll either answer me or I'll barge in there and drag her out!" Sano decided before calling one last time, "Karou, answer me or I'm coming in!"

Nothing

Growling, Sano shoved open the shoji screen and stepping into the room, only to be greeted with the sight of its bare walls and furniture, but no Karou. "Shit! I'd better tell Kenshin!" Sano muttered, turning, he dashed back towards his friends, when they were in sight he yelled,"KENSHIN, COME QUICK!"

"What?" Kenshin cried as his head snapped around at Sano's yell. It took him a few moments for the panic in his words to register, and before anyone took their next breath, Kenshin was on his feet and dashing towards Karou's room. Upon arrival, Kenshin's eyes took everything in within a space of a second before he raised his head towards the glittering night sky and screamed, "KAROU!"


	11. Cherry Blossoms and a Sword

Chapter 10

Deep within the mountain ranges of Kyoto a man known as Seijuro Hiko worked diligently in front of the kiln as he fired up the bellows, creating more heat for the pots inside. Pausing briefly, he lifted a jug of sake and tried to take a sip, but nothing came out. The jug was empty, "Kuso! Now I'll have to go into town to get more." Standing, Hiko stretched until his back gave a satisfying popping noise, then, lifting the mantle that signified him as the thirteenth master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, he grabbed his sword and headed towards town.

As he traveled down the mountain, he let his senses take in the beauty of nature while his thoughts touched on many subjects before getting stuck on a single one. Grunting, he muttered, "I wonder how my baka deshi and himie-chan are doing?" Hiko sighed before continuing to reminisce, "That baka deshi of mine can get into allot of trouble, so I'm glad that I sent himie-chan to look after him during the revolution. Suddenly he gave a shudder of revultion as another memory surfaced, "But, himi-chan was a better swordsmen than a cook. Her food could bring down an elephant."

Hiko chuckled while muttering, "Imagine my surprise that after ten years when my baka deshi came here to learn the Kakkaru Ryo no Herimekki, I was very surprised to see himi-chan arrive in his footsteps. Then, to learn that he was living with himi-chan in Tokyo....I guess her swordsman's spirit called out to his own. It's funny that they have managed to somehow meet up again, and that my baka deshi isn't even aware that he's living with a shadow assassin." Hiko suddenly ginned and muttered, "I wonder if my baka deshi ever figured out that his Karou-dono is another one of my students." Pausing, Hiko glanced up at the suns position and saw that it was almost noon and gave a quiet sigh of annoyance; the trip to town was a long one and he was only halfway there. It would take him another two hours before he reached Kyoto so that left him allot of time to continue his train of thought, "Somehow, I'm glad that I've gotten those two together, but my baka deshi can be such a baka when it comes to expressing his feelings towards himie-chan.........I hope himi-chan will tell him soon......"

Hiko grimaced and rubbed the spot over his heart when he felt a twinge of longing burst inside his chest; recognizing it for what it was, he sighed, "Maybe I should consider finding a wife, but who would want someone like me?......bah!...I'm better off on my mountain where no one can bother me."

Suddenly, he stopped walking as he sensed a strong fighters ki; it was as strong as his, but the others that were in the same area felt like they were weaker. Grunting, Hiko muttered, "Better go see what's going on...who knows....I might even get a good workout from the strong one." Then, picking up the pace to a fast walk, he headed towards the sound of metal against metal. When he sighted the battle, he stopped in his tracks as his eyes beheld a lone swordsman surrounded by eight samurai, most of whom were lying on the ground unconscious. As he stepped into the clearing, one of them fell from a pommel strike to the skull from the figure that was being attacked. Now, only one was standing, he kept trying to knock the taller fighter out.

Suddenly, the taller of the swordsmen blurred and disappeared from sight and before Hiko could draw in the next breath of oxygen, blood suddenly spurted through the air and landed on the ground. "AAAAAaaaa!" the injured man screamed as he fell to the ground, dead from massive blood loss due to a severed artery on his throat.

"You're a master swordsman arent' you. Those samurai didn't stand a chance against you," Hiko commented as he leaned against a tree trunk, arms folded across his chest. The master swordsman was very tall, almost as tall as him. He wore a black cloak that covered all of his features, but the tip of his chin. His thighs were muscular and that hinted as well as confirmed after seeing him move in the mist of battle, that this master swordsman could use great speed when needed. But, something about the swordsman nagged at the back of the Hiko's mind. Shaking his head, he pushed it aside as he watched the fighter clean his sword before sheathing it. Then, Hiko gave a grunt of surprise as the figure turned around and removed the hood of his cloak to reveal eyes that were as green as the grass. Her hair was as black as a ravens wing and a figure clothed in a skin tight gi and hakama that clearly screamed that this fighter was a woman, and a very beautiful one. His throat suddenly felt dry as a bone and he wished that he had a jug of sake to alleviate the problem.

The woman bowed slightly, revealing the shadow area between her breast to his gaze and replied, "Hai, Arigotto. May I ask who you are and what you are doing here?"

Hiko's eyes widened slightly at the sight and he quickly averted his gaze towards her face. He gulped quietly, and arrogantly replied, "I am Seijuro Hiko, thirteenth master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and I was on my way to town and felt several strong fighters in the area and decided to check it out. I was going to help, but I could see that you could handle yourself." Suddenly feeling a bit nervous, he stammered, "Ah....what's your name and where are you headed?"

"My name is Sumotoshi Sukura and I'm the tenth master of the Dragon Ryu. I was on my way towards Kyoto to find lodgings before heading for the mountains to build a home there. I'm tired of having people bother me everywhere I go and I just wanted to be left alone."

"The Dragon Ryu? I've heard that the strength of the your sword technique is as strong as the Hiten Mitsurugi's style." Moving closer, Hiko uncrossed his arms and let one of his hands rest on the pommel of his katana and replied, "I feel the same way about being left alone and that's why I live on the mountain by myself, " Hiko replied.

"Really. It's that quiet up there? Sounds like a great place to live," Sukura asked, commented as she eyed him appreciatively. She could see that he had an imposing frame and radiated confidence and power. He was taller than her, which in her experience was very rare and from the conversation they had so far, she decided that liked him and something told her that she could trust him. She decided that she would like to get to know this handsome swordsmaster more.

"Yes, it's very quiet. I like to practice my swordsmanship and throw pots to relax. I've seen enough of battles and I can't stand ignorant fools who think that they are the best with the sword and only want to challenge you to see who is the strongest." Furrowing his brow, Hiko wondered if she was one of those fools, but something told him that she wasn't and he wondered if she'd like to stay with him for a while, since it might be easier for her to find a good place on the mountain and have less of a distance to travel. Before he could stop himself or know that he was going to offer, the words tumbled out of his mouth, "Would you like to stay on my mountain until you find a place to stay? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I could show you around."

Smiling inwardly at his offer, Sukura was overjoyed that this handsome gentleman had offered and from what she could sense of his ki, he was not one to offer like that, so she smiled and replied, "Arigotto, That's very kind of you and I would appreciate it. I'll take you up on your offer."

Whirling around to hide the sudden blush on his cheeks, the thirteenth master of the Hiten Mitsurugi grunted and replied, "Good. We're going to town first, so pick up anything you need before we leave."

"All right, I do have a few things I need anyway, "Sukura replied, not noticing his reaction due to the fact that his back was towards her. Suddenly, the wind blew, pushing Hiko's mantle aside to reveal the rest of his muscular frame. Sukura's eyes immediately took it all in and she inwardly groaned in delight at the sight of his muscular backside and long legs. _"I will definitely enjoy getting to know you better,"_ she purred mentally, eyes glued to one of what she considered her favorite features on a man. Grinning devilishly, she watched the bunching of his muscles as she followed Hiko down the mountain and into Kyoto.

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Back in Tokyo on the same night that Karou had left, Kenshin frantically went about packing his belongings and enough dried food to last him several weeks if he rationed it carefully. After he had calmed down enough to realize that Karou had left to protect the ones she loved, he realized that he would have done the same thing. Sighing, he muttered, "I understand why you left Koshii, but that doesn't mean that I'm happy about it and I refuse to let you leave me behind."

Finally finished packing, Kenshin stood and made his way towards the doujo gates with his friends directly on his heals. Whirling around, Kenshin said, "I would prefer to go alone since I can move faster than any of you. Karou-dono was trained in the Hiten Mitsurugi and is likely to be moving very fast to put enough distance between herself and those men."

Sano growled angrily, but he knew that Kenshin was right. "All right, Kenshin. We'll stay here and watch the doujo just in case Jou-chan decides to come back."

"Arigotto Sano. I'll come back with Karou-dono as soon as I can. In the meantime," Kenshin glanced at Aoshi and replied, "Aoshi, I would like you to find out who is behind all of this and where he can be found."

Nodding his head, Aoshi replied, "As you wish, Battousai. Misao and I will use our contacts here in Tokyo to find out his real name and we will let you know."

"Thank you, Aoshi. It is very much appreciated," Kenshin replied as he turned to push open the doujo gates.

Misao stepped forward and asked, "So Himura....where do you think Karou went?"

Not pausing as he walked out of the gates, Kenshin replied, "Karou is heading home.........towards Kyoto."

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Authors Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. When I had the idea to include Hiko I just couldn't help myself. His character is not very well known and it could almost be compared to Vegeta's roll in Dragonball Z. I mean, who really knows what Hiko's like except that he acts arrogantly in the anime and drinks sake.

I would seriously like to see more fanfiction on him. It would be nice to read about his life and how he became the 13th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi and what his life was like until he met Kenshin. So far, I've only seen a few fanfiction with him and only one romance fic. I think he's not given any credit. Yes, he's only in a few of the episodes, but that's what makes him so mysterious. That's why I'm encouraging you, my readers, to write a fic about him. In my opinion, he's very handsome.....just like Kenshin is when he's not acting like a clueless baka to cover up the pain of his past as the Battousai.

Here are a few questions I'd like to leave you and I hope they will give you a few ideas on a fanfiction:

1. Who is Hiko really?

2. Why does he live alone and what caused him to alienate himself from the rest of humanity?

3. What prior adventures did he have after he defeated his own master?

4. What was he like before he met Kenshin?

5. Was he ever in love and if so is she still alive or is she dead?

6. If he's never been in love, what would he do if he actually found someone he became attracted to while on a trip to get more sake to drink. And what if that someone was in danger?

7. To what lengths would he go to protect the woman he loves or his baka deshi and friends?

8. Does he have any enemies? If so, why and who are they?

Well I hope that sparks your interest! Now, I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed! I know I don't write shout outs but, if you email me to ask me questions I will definitely respond quicker. The reason behind my madness is that I firmly believe in telling the story and the story only. If you clutter your work with them it sometimes is distracting.

From the reviews that I've received, allot of you enjoy my stories, even the Ranma 1/2 ones and I thank you. If you've never read my Ranma 1/2 stories, I would encourage you to read Dragons Gift, Stranded and Heritage. If you're into Inu-Yasha, go ahead and read Youkai Forest. I'm sure you'll enjoy it since I always make sure to have allot of action, adventure, romance, etc. I also really don't have a fic that leaves out the accompanying characters; they are what helps you make the story a great one. I usually go for the standard matchups since I think they belong together. Well enough of my rambling. I hope you'll continue to read and let me know just how much you enjoy reading. All of your reviews make me smile (and so far I haven't gotten any flames). That is a good thing!

Enjoy!

PS.

Reviews sometimes encourage me to write quicker and if you give suggestions in your review, they sometimes give me ideas to use. But, I'm not one of those authors who live for reviews alone. I write because I enjoy writing and I have a vivid imagination!


	12. On the Run

Chapter 11

The sun had just started to sink below the horizon when a lone traveler paused briefly at a stream to get a drink of water. She had been traveling for several days since leaving Tokyo and in the midst of her rush to leave, she had forgotten to pack food and water for her trip. Stretching, she sighed as her stomach gave a loud rumbling noise. Covering her stomach with her right hand, she grimaced and mumbled, "I guess I was in too much of a hurry so I'll have to hunt or catch some fish to ease my grumbling belly. Mu, this will slow me down even more and I can't afford to lose time because those men are bound to follow me.....not to mention Kenshin's going to be coming after me as soon as possible." Untying her hair, Karou ran her fingers through her aching scalp. Taking out a comb, she began to remove the tangles from her hair before putting it into a braid, then winding into a tight bun, she secured it with a pair of metal chopsticks and muttered, "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not even a half a day behind and catching up."

Her stomach gave another earth shaking rumble and Karou rolled her eyes before searching in the stream for some fish. Spotting a few trout, she grinned happily and thought, "One of those will do fine. It's a good thing that I can cook over an open campfire better than I can in a kitchen, or I would definitely starve." Grasping a stick from the ground, she scanned the riverbed for a fish. "Ah, there you are,"she muttered while channeling her ki into the stick; making it harden so that when it hit the water, it wouldn't break upon impact. Karou remembered that she had done this during the revolution while tracking Kenshin and smiled. Suddenly, a flash of silver lit the water and before it could disappear she lifted her arm and thrust the stick into the water with a loud,"Kyaa!" Lifting the stick, she pulled the two speared fish towards her and grinned,"Yatta! I've still got it!"

Turning, she waded back to shore; humming she gathered wood for a fire. In her mind, however, her thoughts were in chaos, "Why did this have to happen now? I shouldn't have stayed in Tokyo as long as I have. I thought I'd hidden myself well enough, now I'm sure that my friends will get hurt. It's better that I left them; they won't be used as a tool against me."

Once the fire was crackling merrily, Karou started gutting the fish with the small blade she had strapped to her thigh. Almost mechanically, she gutted it and ripped out its spine while her thoughts ran in circles, "Kenshin can take care of himself and he'll protect them, but he may also come after me." Biting her lip, Karou placed the fish on a spit to cook and sighed, "I bet he's mad that I didn't tell him the whole truth about my past........but, I just couldn't bring myself to tell him after seeing how much I made him forget the people he's killed by acting so innocent and pure." Lifting her head, Karou stared at the sky as the first stars appeared; guilt and sadness weighed heavily upon her soul and a lone tear streaked down her cheek to land upon the parched earth, "Kenshin," she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Over two dozen shadowy figures moved swiftly through the night, hot on the trail of their prey. They had been following her since she left Tokyo and they knew that the Kamiya girl was dangerous, and that she'd been known as the Shadow Hitokiri during the revolution. That was why they'd hung back and kept their ki masked so as not to be detected.

One of the shadows paused as it detected a flicker of light just up ahead and let loose the sound of a hooting owl to attract his fellow hunters attention.

The hunters paused, glancing back towards him, they took note of his hand signals. Nodding they glanced towards a lone campfire and grinned evilly. It was her! They had finally found their prey. Creeping closer, the first shadow noticed that the Kamiya girl was resting against a tree trunk. Grinning, the shadow lifted an object to his mouth and blew. There was a soft hissing noise as the dart left the gun and headed towards its unsuspecting target.

Before the dart could connect with the soft flesh of Karou's upper arm, she rolled and landed in a crouch while drawing her katana. Deep within Karou's mind, Shadow stirred, "_Let me handle them!" _Nodding, Karou replied,"Fine, we'll need to use our speed to beat these guys." Between one blink and the next, Karou's eyes flared aqua as her darker personality took over. Scanning the forest, Shadow could just make out several figures lurking in the darkness. Narrowing her eyes, she mentally counted over a dozen ninjas before focusing her attention on their leader and growled, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"It is not what we want Shadow Blade......it is what our boss wants.................and that is your death.....get her!" with those few words dying on his lips, the ninjas tried to surround her. One of them darted forward and threw several Kuni, "Shit," Shadow growled while quickly lifting her katana and deflecting them. Not waiting for them to completely surround her. Shadow darted in and around her many opponents while attacking at the same time. Many fell to her sword but, there were many others that replaced the ones that fell. Each time Shadow managed to block an oncoming blow from one ninja, another would take his place. Shadow could see that the situation was getting out of hand and thought, _"Damn there's too many of them! And as much as I hate running......I will have to retreat and seek a better vantage point in which to deliver my counterstrike to my enemy."_

Searching for an opening, Shadow spotted one just off to her right and thought, _"If I time this correctly, I can get past them, but I'll have have to be quick."_ Bunching her muscles, Shadow darted to the right, using her godlike speed, she managed to avoid the many weapons aimed at slowing her down. Glancing behind her, she could see that they were closing, so she infused her legs with ki and ran faster. Shadow knew that she couldn't keep this type of speed up forever and would need to rest soon, but for now, she needed to put some distance between herself and her attackers.

Shadow had been running for over twenty minutes when suddenly she felt a sting in her arm, and cursed, "Shimatta!" Glancing at her left arm, she noticed the dart sticking out of her flesh, and grasping it between her fingers, she yanked it out, cursing, "Shit that hurts!" Lifting the dart to her nose, Shadow sniffed it, "It's a tranquilizer dart!" Throwing the used dart to the side, Shadow started running but, suddenly, froze when she spotted several ninjas in the darkness; unable to suppress a sudden surge of fear, her ki spiked, before she calmed herself down enough to get into a defensive crouch and growled, "Ahou's! I may be drugged but, before I go down....." Eyes lighting up with blood lust, she bared her teeth in a menacing grin, Shadow growled, ".....I'll take a few of you with me!"

Rushing forward, Shadow flicked her blade to the side, slitting several of the ninjas throats in one strike. Moving quickly, she darted left and took out a few more of her opponents, before suddenly, the world tilted and swayed before her eyes. Blinking, Karou's eyes faded from aqua to blue as she tried to focus her vision. Taking a few steps back, she wobbled unsteadily and her vision dimmed. "I can't fight like this....I've got to get away." With those thoughts in mind, Karou melted into the shadows, half running and stumbling through the forest.

It had been ten minutes since she had been struck with the dart and still Karou ran, zig zagging and circling around while trying to elude her pursuers. She was tired and her arm bled from where a dart had struck her. The ninjas were steadily catching up and would be upon her soon. Gazing into the distance, Karou could make out the distant shape of Hiko's mountain and pushed herself to run harder. As her right foot hit the ground, she staggered as she tripped over an exposed tree root. She was afraid that she wouldn't make it to the mountain before she was caught and killed. Suddenly, a twig snapped in the distance and Karou's head snapped around to face the noise, "Damn! I can't seem to lose them! I guess I'll have to fight."

Karou could see several ninjas closing in and steadied herself for their next attack when suddenly, her vision went dark as the effects of the tranquilizers finally took hold. But, before her sight faded completely away, she saw a glimpse of flaming amber eyes and red hair. "Kenshin.........." she breathed, before everything went dark.

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Several miles away and closing fast, a lone swordsman ran through the night with blinding speed, eyes burning like amber fire as he navigated the blinding darkness of the night, twisting and turning, he avoided the obstacles in the forest while keeping a sharp eye out for the faint traces that Karou had left behind when she passed through. He could feel his muscles screaming with fatigue as his lungs burned with the need to increase their oxygen intake. But, Kenshin ignored his exhaustion and continued to run. Some instinct urged him on, he didn't know what it was, but something told him that his Karou was in danger. He had to catch up to her and the only way was to keep running while using his godlike speed. "_It's dangerous for me to keep this up, that it is. But, I must find her before those men find her and she gets hurt." _ Suddenly, he jumped into the air to avoid a fallen log, upon landing, he continued to run, _"I don't think I can hold onto my sanity if my Karou gets hurt. She's the only one who understands me."_

Suddenly, Kenshin stopped running. Panting, he frowned when he sensed a sudden surge of ki, but then it disappeared just as swiftly as it had appeared. He knew he had felt something, but it was only for a brief moment but it had been so familiar......

Closing his eyes, he let his senses soar over the land as he tried to pin point its origin. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and glowed brighter with the light of triumph shining through, "There you are, Karou. I've found you!" Grinning, Kenshin darted off to the right, but frowned when he sensed her ki darting in a zig zagging pattern. _"Hmm, It is almost like she's trying to lose something.....or someone,"_ Kenshin thought before detecting a small hint of fear laced through her ki. _"She is trying to lose someone.....and I'm sure that it is not me. I'm too far away for her to sense me, That I am."_ Summoning his ki reserves, Kenshin dashed off into the night, determined to get to Karou in time, _"Hang on Koshii, try to stay out of their grasp just a little bit longer. Then we can bring down this man who wants to hurt you.....and when this is all over, I want a full explanation." _

He had been running for over an hour and in the distance, he could just make out the shapes of a group of men converging on something. Reaching out with his ki, Kenshin detected a familiar energy, "Karou!" But, then he sensed a large group of menacing ki and thought, "Oh Kami! They've found her!" he gasped and ran faster. Kenshin knew that he needed to get to her before they could harm her. Bursting into the small clearing, He took in everything in a split second. There on the ground lay his Karou, he could see blood dripping from a wound on her shoulder. Anger surging through his veins at the sight of her blood, his eyes flashed amber as he attacked, cursing, "Bastards!"

Five men fell, unconscious before Kenshin felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Reaching behind himself, he pulled out a dart and cursed, _"Kuso! I can't fight them if I've been drugged! I've got to get out of here."_ Quickly, before the dart could take effect, Kenshin lifted his reverse-blade sword and yelled, "Ryu-sui-sen!" Causing rocks and dirt to fly through the air; knocking out the rest of the ninjas. Not wasting a moment, Kenshin rushed towards Karou and checked for a pulse. Sighing in relief, he whispered, "Thank kami you're alive, my Koshii." Lifting her up, he threw her over his shoulder and broke into a run; heading straight towards Hiko's mountain. As he ran, one thought echoed through his mind,"_I hope Shishou won't mind some visitors."_

AN: Well here is another chapter! Is it getting good or what? Let me know your thoughts on this.

As you know, I haven't posted a new chapter for Youkai Forest.....well, there's a reason for that. I've found a few mistakes and I've decided to fix them, so the story won't have an update for a little while. Also, it's summer and I'd like to have some fun while it's warm. Ah, I can just hear the beach calling me!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	13. I want more

Chapter 12

In a clearing not too far from a large outdoor kiln, Hiko dodged a slash from his attacker and thought, _"Two weeks have passed since I've made the journey to Kyoto. It's a relatively short amount of time for a person to get to know another, and yet, in that time I feel like I've come to know Sukura well."_ He jumped over a the blade as it tried to remove his legs and continued, _"Its been a learning experience for the both of us. In the past few weeks we've become close friends and I know that I've only felt this way about a woman once before." _He dodged a blow that was aimed for his groin and continued his train of thought_,"I think she only sees me as a friend and I wish we could be more than that."_

Whirling around to get into range for his attack, Hiko grunted in surprise as he felt the dull edge of a katana connect with his bicep; immediately he brought his attention back towards his attacker and retaliated with a Ryo Su Sen, but to his amazement, she managed to block his attack.

"That was a good move, Hiko," Sukura complemented him. Placing one hand on her hip, she cocked her head to the right and with a slight frown, said, "But, what caused you to be distracted?"

"I was not distracted," he replied, arrogantly. Hiko then started to slowly circle her while cautiously watching for her next move..

Raising one eyebrow, Sukura teased, "If you were not distracted then, how did I managed to tag you? Were you by chance thinking of something perverted?" Sukura watched with great amusement as the stodic samurai choked and sputtered in embarrassment. She had learned that the famed Swordmaster Hiko Seijuro did not take being teased by a woman too well. In fact, when she made any sort of innuendo towards him, he blushed like a fifteen year old boy; just like his face was doing now.

"I was not thinking of anything ecchi!" Hiko answered gruffly; pausing to stare at her directly in the eyes before sheathing his sword. He knew that for some odd reason, everytime she taunted him, he would be blushing like a girl. _"I just don't understand this! It's never happened to me when I am around other women!.....Just her!"_ he thought, grimacing. Whirling around he started walking back towards his home, only to stop suddenly as two small arms wrapped around his waist. "What is it? he inquired irritably.

"Please don't be upset. I really don't see why you're acting this way, but I wouldn't have minded it if you did have ecchi thoughts that were about me, "She whispered seductively in his ear; her breath wafted gently over the sensitive skin of his ear, making him shudder in excitement, imperceptibly.

Shock was the first thing that registered in his mind, followed by disbelief as her words hit him like a blow to the head. Slowly, he shook his head to clear his mind and replied, "What did you say? I think I must be hearing things. You said that you'd actually like me to be a pervert around you?"

Rolling her eyes, Sukura decided that she'd have to be blunt with him and replied, "Hiko, I like you very much. Much more than a close acquaintance or a friend. Over the years, I've tried to keep myself from falling in love and I've managed very well, but with you.....it's different." Sighing, she released him before starting to pace," I've had many battles during my time as a wanderer. I mean, eighty years is a long time to be alone and I know that I may live to two hundred like my master did. But, when I look at you....I find myself wanting more."

Hiko blinked as her feelings and age registered. _"She wants to be more than friends? Oh Kami, I think my prayers have been answered,_" he thought before turning his attention towards her features. From what he could see, there were no wrinkles in sight and her hair didn't even have one hint of gray._"She doesn't look a day older than twenty,"_ he thought, before a vague memory about her sword technique surfaced. Furrowing his brow, he murmured, "So the rumors about The Dragon Ryu are true?"

Cocking her head in puzzlement, Sukura replied, "Well, that depends on what rumors you're referring to. If you mean about the absurd amount of strength and speed you gain by becoming a master, then yes. They are true. But, if you are referring to the bit about retaining your youth, then yes. That is also true." Grinning, she continued, "I have heard that your Mitsurugi Ryu has the same benefits as well. I admit, that I became intrigued by that rumor and sought for myself to see if it was true. I'm sure you understand how hard it is to see loved ones age and die right before your eyes, while you remain unaffected by the passing of time."

Hiko nodded while murmuring, "Yes. My baka deshi thinks that I'm forty, but to tell you the truth I'm well over one hundred years old. Our schools grant us a great gift as well as the curse of near immortality. Both my deshi will find out soon enough what it's like to live as long as we have."

"Yes. I'm sure they will and may they handle their burden like true Samurai," Sukura replied, solemnly. Shaking her head, she switched the subject faster than lightning, "Now, since you know that I want to be more than friends, I would like to know your answer."

Hiko nodded, smiling slightly and replied,"I would like to be more than friends as well. I find you very attractive and....," he blushed slightly and continued, "I would like to see where a relationship between near immortals like us would lead too. I feel that I've come to know you well, but I would like to know more about you."

Turning around once more, Hiko continued walking towards his home; completely missing the impish smile on his companions face as she replied, "I would like that very much." With those words falling from her lips, both Hiko and Sukura disappeared into the house.

That night Hiko learned about Sukura's past and the trials that she had been through well before and during the war. He in turn, told her about his past wanderings as a Samurai after he had resigned from the previous Emperor's service. He told her about finding Kenshin and raising him. He also told Sukura that the boy grew up to be a baka deshi and would get into loads of trouble without even trying. They had some laughs over the trouble that Kenshin had gotten into, and even went so far as to compare notes as to when they were young and still in training. Then, he told Sukura about his hime-chan and how she was such an obedient deshi that she made him wish that he had children of his own. But, then he mentioned that he would remember his baka deshi and change his mind.

Sukura laughed heartily while teasing him unmercifully. Both of them talked well into the early morning hours when suddenly, they both stiffened as they sensed a powerful surge of ki.

"Who is that?" Sukura asked, curiously.

"Its my......" Hiko started to reply when he felt a more familiar ki signature spike erratically; as if in fear. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his sword and growled,"Get your sword and come with me."

"What's the matter, Hiko?" Sukura replied.

"My deshi are in trouble.....and from what I can tell, only Kenshin is conscious, but he's fading fast," Hiko replied as he dashed out the door and into the forest with Sukura on his heels.

AN Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out, but I've been very busy with painting my room. There's also the demands of my job and since there was only 3 of us left in the office, we got loaded down with this new guys work....I mean, he never bothered to call and say he was sick or in the hospital! He was out for two weeks straight....That bastard! Anyway, I'm glad my boss fired him and begged the previous person who had the job before the bastard came to replace her, to come back. She did! grin! And because of the bastard being out, I guess in a roundabout way, my boss got to see how much of a hard worker I was and gave me a raise! Yay!!! The funny thing is...that I've only been at my job for a month and a half! I love it!

Has anyone written anything on Hiko from my suggestions in chapter 10? If you have, let me know since I want to read it.

Hope you enjoy this chapter since it took me so long to write. Let me know about any thoughts or ideas you may have.

Sincerely,

D-Chan3


	14. All hope, Lost!

Chapter 13

As Kenshin ran unsteadily though the forest, he suddenly staggered, quickly he braced himself against a tree trunk with his free hand and shaking his head, he tried to fight off the effects of the drug. Unfortunately, it was proving to be harder than he first thought. Grunting with the effort to stay upright; Kenshin centered himself and began searching his ki reserves, so he could use it in one desperate effort to put more distance between himself and the ninja; and found nothing. He was totally spent and on top of that, whatever the dart was drugged with was slowing him down. Out of every five steps he took, he fell two times, and it was getting worse as the forest path began to waver in front of his eyes. Glancing back towards the trail he had made through the forest in his desperate attempt to put distance between the men and his Karou, he could sense them; they were getting closer with each breath he took. "Sessha doesn't think he can go much further," he groaned while holding his head and blinking rapidly, he tried to bring the world into focus as it spun crazily around him. Forcing himself to continue, Kenshin once again pushed himself into a dead run and thought, _"Sessha needs to protect Karou-dono."_ Suddenly, the forest around him disappeared and he stumbled over a tree root. Dropping to one knee, he rapidly blinked his eyes to regain his sight. **_"We have to keep going! Now fight off the effects of that dart and get up!"_** his other personality, the Battousai demanded, as Kenshin rose once more and shifted Karou's weight to keep himself from falling, he staggered onward.

"_Oro?"_ Kenshin thought as he accidentally slammed his shoulder against a tree trunk in his struggle to remain on his feet. Suddenly, Karou moaned quietly as she tried to fight off her lassitude, but the drug prevented her from regaining consciousness. _**"If we are to protect Karou from danger and hold off the drugs effects just a little bit longer. Then, we must become whole once more. We have to exterminate those ninja before the drug completely overtakes us, or we will die along with our koshii. There is no turning back once this has been done." **_Frowning, Kenshin thought about his options, there weren't many and his top priority was protecting Karou. Sighing, he replied, _".....Sessha doesn't like killing...but, Sessha did it in the war and right now, Karou-dono is in danger. Those ninja will stop at nothing to get what they want...even if it means that they will kill us. It's our responsibility to protect Karou." _Kenshin frowned as he mulled over his decision, but then started when his Battousai half growled impatiently,_ "**Well? What have you decided?" **_Dropping his head in defeat, Kenshin whispered, "All right. Let's do it.....for Karou."

* * *

"Are you sure you felt your students out here?" Surkura inquired as she ran beside the thirteenth master of the Mitsurugi, sweating slightly since they had been running for a good hour.

Hiko grunted as he jumped over a boulder and replied, "Of course I'm sure! I'd recognize my deshi's ki signatures anywhere!"

"Alright...if you say so, but what do you think is going on to make you so worried?" Sukura asked while dodging a low hanging tree branch. "I'm sure it must be something very grave to get you moving since you said that your baka deshi, Kenshin was known in the war as the Battousai."

Suddenly, Hiko stopped running, turned towards Sukura and replied, "My baka deshi has given up killing and that's something that I'm very proud of....however, if the danger that I sense is more than he can handle, then he will revert back to the Battousai if himi-chan's life is threatened." Frowning, Hiko searched the mountain range for the right direction to continue traveling in and found it, nodding, he started to run again with Sukura managing to keep pace with him and continued, "I also recognize the feel of those other ki's. Over ten years ago, when the war started, himi-chan was injured by a man who went by the name of, Hirakowa Taka. He had hunted her down after she had saved Kenshin's life and managed to catch her by surprise. Himi-chan fled to the mountains to hide and heal, but he had followed her and had her cornered...." Hiko paused in his story to edge his way along a small ledge next to a thundering waterfall.

Sukura nodded as she heard his tale and replied, "That explains much of the gaps you've left out of your previous story. I'd like to hear more just as soon as we cross this." She pointed towards the twenty foot drop and thought, "I'd really hate to slip and land on those rocks at the bottom of the falls...that would definitely hurt and take a long time to heal."

Hiko threw a grin over his shoulder and continued to the other side. Once he was several yards away, enough that he could be heard over the roaring noise of the water, he continued, " As he was about to deal her a killing blow, I happened along. I managed to wound him and chase him off. After that, I healed her and taught her how to properly defend herself. Once her training was completed, I had her keep an eye on Kenshin to make sure he wasn't killed......after all, he's like a son to me."

Nodding her head, Sukura smiled gently and replied, "The way you've been talking about him makes it obvious that you consider him part of your family. I'm sure I'll have a chance to meet him when all of this is over."

Chuckling, Hiko murmured, "Yes. You'll meet him sooner than you think," then he pointed towards a part of the forest several miles away and said, "He's right over there."

Squinting her eyes, Sukura gazed at the spot while concentrating her senses towards that spot. Suddenly, her eyes widened, inhaling a hissing breath she replied,"That's some ki your deshi possesses. He's strong!" Then, she frowned and replied,"But something feels off......it's like a great sadness has grasped hold of his soul and there's a sense of duality to his ki."

"That would be his Battousai half, "Hiko replied as he gestured for them to keep moving, only this time, they broke into a run. "I believe that it was created in order for Kenshin to deal with the death of the slave women who defended him before I found him. When that personality is present, his eyes glow a bright amber. I have hoped that since the war ended that he would be able to take control of it, but it seems that my hopes are in vein."

Jumping down a steep incline, Sukura frowned and stated, "Please explain what you mean."

Nodding, Hiko gathered his thoughts and answered, "My deshi had many enemies during the war. Now that the war is over, they are still after him as soon as word reaches their ears that he still lives. When one fight to protect the ones he loves has ended, it's not too long before another enemy comes to take his place. My deshi's mental health will break soon if he's not allowed to rest."

"And if that happens?" Sukura asked, curiously.

"....And if that happens, " Hiko repeated before his voice lowered into a whisper, "May kami have mercy on us all."

Sukura swallowed as she felt a bead of cold sweat run down her spine at those words. Just the thought of an out of control near immortal assassin on the lose sent shivers of dread throughout her soul. Suddenly, she heard screams of agony in the distance and gasped, "Do you hear that?"

Straining his hearing to block out all the natural sounds of the forest, Hiko listened and after a few moments he could faintly hear the screams of mean in agony and the sounds of swords clanging. Reaching out with his senses, Hiko felt for Kenshin's ki. Finding it and sensing the duality of it, he gave a mental sigh of relief. But, before he could fully relax, the ki shifted and merged; throughout the process, Hiko could feel a strong lust for blood overpower his senses. Face draining of all color, Hiko broke the connection and whispered harshly,"We're too late!"

* * *

Kenshin steadied himself against a tree as he felt a searing pain in his eyes. Unbeknownst to the Rurouni, his eyes began alternating in color before finally settling to reveal glowing amber orbs dotted with amethyst. As he mentally readjusted to the changes, he suddenly heard a shout in the distance, head snapping around to face the possible danger, the former Rurouni focused his burning gaze upon the two dozen ninja entering the clearing with swords drawn and his death in their eyes. Gently, he lowered Karou to the ground and braced himself for battle.

As the first man came within ten feet of him, Battousai's growled threateningly, "The first man to come any closer, dies."

"You're bluffing! You don't kill anymore," one of the ninja's replied, and then he sneered at the former assassin before taking that fateful step closer.

Battousai grinned, coldly while his eyes glowed brighter with his rising blood lust, he reached for his katana and whispered, "I was not bluffing."....and he flipped the blade, sharp side down and thought,"Forgive me, my Koshii....for I can not forgive myself for what I'm about to do." Then, before the ninja knew what had happened, the Battousai blurred and disappeared from sight. Suddenly, a fountain of blood shot into the air as his head rolled a few meters from his body. When the other ninja noticed this, they began screaming as one by one, body parts flew through the air and many more died. But, it was already too late, the reign of blood had already begun.........................

* * *

Well I hop you liked this chapter! I was thinking of making it more bloody due to the fact that Halloween is just around the corner. Anyway, let me know what you think! 


	15. Death of an ideal!

Chapter 14

As the last man fell to the ground, Battousai's strength finally gave out, collapsing to one knee, he knelt in a pool of blood, panting for breath. He couldn't fight any longer, because he knew that he had used up all of his ki reserves, he was totally spent. Suddenly, his head snapped up and he focused his blazing amber orbs upon a lone ninja entering the clearing with a sinister grin upon his face,"Very well done, Battousai. You have managed to decimate my masters forces by half, but you will not be so lucky when you fight me."

Growling, Battousai spoke, his voice, whisper soft, and yet it carried a serious threat, "You will die like the rest if you move any closer.....now leave!"

Grinning wickedly, the ninja pulled his arms from behind his back to reveal two sets of clawed gloves strapped on both his hands, each finger, tipped with fourteen inch blades of sharpened steel. "I'm afraid that I cannot concede to your wishes for my master has ordered me to bring Shadow to him so he may kill her himself. I'm aware that you will try to protect her with your very life, but with those drugs running through your system, you should be completely helpless in about one minute."

Battousai glared at the ninja through his bangs, his frustration mounting, he desperately sought out more time to rest and rebuild just a fraction of his ki reserves, he hoped that by keeping the ninja involved in meaningless banter, that he could recover enough strength to fight. "I wouldn't be so sure that the dart is effecting me too much. I have dealt with this type of drug in the war and have managed to build up enough of a tolerance to fight its effects," Battousai replied. In reality he could barely keep his eyes open and he was operating on blind instinct alone. If the ninja made any movements towards himself or Karou, he knew that he would react. _"I only hope that my reaction time will be fast enough to protect myself and Karou since the drugs are seriously hampering my speed."_He thought.

Chuckling evilly, the ninja bared his teeth and replied, "So you say, but you are lying, because those of my clan have been keeping an eye on you since the war began. You were never hit with such darts before." Taking one step closer the ninja continued, "I'm calling your bluff, Battousai! I, Masura, Kagi will kill you where you stand.....if you can stand at all!"

"Kuso!" Battousai growled, struggling to get to his feet. He had hoped that he could have held him off just a bit longer, but Kagi had known he was lying, and now, he knew that he had to fight with what little strength he'd managed to gather. Grasping his reversed blade in his right hand, he braced his weight on the blade, making it dig several inches into the ground as he stood, muscles quivering in exhaustion. Lifting his Sabakoto into a guard position, he waited for his enemy to attack. He did not have to wait long before the ninja sprinted, lightning fast, straight towards him, claws slashing in several directions. One after another they came within inches of seriously injuring him, _"His speed is amazing and almost rivales mine," Battousai thought._

Desperately, Battousai dodged the first strike aimed at taking off his head. Then, as Kagi swiped for his stomach; he quickly brought his blade down, blocking the oncoming blow. He knew that if Kagi had managed to nail him with that blow, it would be the death of him. Panting, he quickly sprang backwards, sheathed his katana and got into the battoujitsu stance that he was named after. "I'm afraid that I can't let you win this one, Kagi. Prepare to die!" With those words said, Battousai sprang into action, his speed was slowed by the drugs, but only minimally, but he was still fast enough to be just a blur to the naked eye.

Kagi grinned in anticipation, the Battousai's speed, he noted, was effected enough for him to dodge the oncoming strike; which he did by flipping over Battousai's head. Leaving the Battousai's guard open for a split second, but in that second, Kagi levered an ax kick to the back of the Battousai's skull, "Ha!"

Battousai stumbled as pain flared from the back of his head while his vision suddenly darkened, panting for breath he waited for his sight to clear, before he could see normally, he felt a sudden searing pain erupt on his chest as four of the blades cut deeply into his muscles. Clutching his injury tightly, he blinked rapidly, until he could see once more and then glared at the ninja. "Bastard!" he growled loudly at the Ninja who was standing over his precious Karou, eyes gleaming coldly with the intent to kill.

Kagi turned from his new victim, grinning, he replied, "Now, now, Battousai. That isn't a nice thing to say....especially coming from a dying man.

Growling low in his throat, Battousai wondered what he was talking about. He knew that the darts used upon him, according to Kagi, were only drugged with a strong sedative. His mind churning, he desperately searched for an answer to Kagi's words and then suddenly halted. Eyes widening at the sudden thought, he whispered one word, "Poison!"

Chilling laughter echoed through the clearing as Kagi heard Battousai's whispered word, not able to contain himself, the ninja nodded his head and chuckling, he confirmed Battousai's guess, "Yessss." he hissed, quietly and continued, "My blades are laced with a rare poison that slowly eats away at a person's vital organs." Turning around, Kagi dismissed the red headed swordsman as no longer being a threat, and turned towards his real target. But that was the last mistake he would make.

"Damn you, you bastard," Battousai growled, before a sudden coughing fit sized him. The spasms were so severe that he doubled over, covering his mouth in an automatic response. As the fit subsided, Battousai felt something wet and glancing down at his palm, he was horrified to see it covered in blood. Realizing the sudden danger he was in, he glanced towards his foe, eyes flaring brightly with hate and determination "I ...will protect Karou with my life, if need be," he gasped as he came to a sudden decision to risk everything to save Karou before the poison could totally incapacitate him. Shifting his weight forward, he pushed off, speeding towards his enemy, pushing his body to its limits as he rushed to Karou's side. Gripping his reversed blade at just the right angle, he pulled his arm back as his target came within striking distance, then, he thrust it home, hard. A wet chunking sound and the feel of his enemies flesh tearing filled Battousai's narrowed senses so that only the sight of Karou remained. Instinctively, Kenshin knew that he had killed his target by stabbing him through the heart while his back was turned, but none of that mattered to him as long as Karou was safe.

Suddenly, just as he has managed to gather what strength he had, it left him, and he fell to his knees, the world was listing around him, his vision was slowly leaving him. Reaching one hand towards Karou," I'm sorry my love, I had to kill again to make sure you were safe, but it seems that I will not last much longer without..." He coughed again, more blood coated his hand; dripped down his chin in a steady stream to land on the ground, "..an antidote. I love you, my Karou,"he wheased as he lovingly brushed her bangs away from her eyes, then all his strength failed and he fell to the ground to lay beside her. As the last vistages of his vision faded and the welcome blackness of unconciousness claimed him. He saw his shishou and a lone woman step out of the forest, then he knew nothing more as he fell limp as a rag doll against Karou's inert body.


	16. Desperate Measures

Chapter 15 Desperate Measures:

Hiko was the first one to enter the clearing and to take in what had occurred in just one glance. He rushed towards Kenshin's side and quickly knelt down, reaching out with both of his hands, he felt Kenshin and Karou's necks for a pulse. He held his fingers against their necks until he finally felt the fading beat of his deshi's heart; followed by the slow and steady throb of Karou's pulse. Glancing upwards, he located his companion as she entered the clearing, sword drawn and standing at the ready in a guarding position in case trouble arrived early, glancing over her shoulder she inquired,. "How are they, Hiko?"

"Not good. My deshi seems to have been hit with some type of poison and is fading fast. Himi-chan seems to have been drugged and is out cold," Hiko replied as he watched how Kenshin was struggling to breathe. He noticed that for every twenty beats of Kenshin's heart, his deshi would stop breathing for a few seconds before beginning again.

"Poison? That's not good. But, can you tell what kind of poison was used?" Sukura replied as she made her way to Hiko's side and knelt beside him. Frowning at the sight of blood on Karou's shoulder , she quickly set about tearing off pieces of her cloak as makeshift bandages and wrapped her shoulder and the other superficial cuts. Then, she set about stanching the flow of blood from Kenshin's wounds as best she could before moving sitting up, "There. That should stop the worst of it and help conceal our trail."

"I think I might have an idea. It smells familiar and I...." Suddenly, his ki senses went on alert as he detected thirty more threatening ki's heading their way. "Sukura! We've got to get them out of here before reinforcements arrive!" Hiko growled as he slowly lifted Kenshin into his arms.

"Right." Sukura replied as she lifted Karou into her arms. Most people misjudged her strength because she was a woman. But, in reality, being a master swordsman, she had the ability to utilize her ki in amazing ways. This included infusing her muscles with her ki to be able to lift objects three times her own body weight. "So, where to?"

"Back to my mountain. It will be easier to defend against whoever is out to get both of my deshi, and I have loads of medicines that we can use to cure this poison." Hiko replied. Quickly, he set off at a fast pace, back towards his home where the medicines he had on hand just might save his deshi's life.

* * *

Arriving home in record time, Hiko lowered Kenshin to lean against the outer wall while he set about preparing pallets for his two new guests. He had decided to put both of his students in the same room so that he could watch over them in case something went wrong. Once everything was in place, he turned around and growled, "all right, everything is set up. Brink in Himi-chan and lay her down on the pallet to the right,' he said while motioning Sukura to bring Karou inside. Not waiting to see if she complied with his order, Hiko walked outside and gently lifted his student before returning inside and laying him next to Karou.

Sukura watched Hiko closely as he stared at Kenshin with a haunted expression. It was there for only a brief moment before his face hardened with determination. Curious and concerned as to what her love interest was thinking, Sukura decided to ask him a few questions,"Hiko?"

"Hmm," he replied absently as he check on Kenshin's condition. Finding that nothing had changed for the worse, he twisted around to grab his medicine case before shuffling through its contents.

"How long do you think we'll have before those ninja find us?" She replied as she leaned back to rest against the inner wall, frowning. "Also, I would like to know how Kenshin-san is doing?"

Lifting a few bottles, he set about mixing the contents together in order to cure Kenshin, whom he secretly considered to be his son. Glancing towards Sukura briefly, he replied, "If I can get this cure into his system, he should recover by two days from now. But, those four slashes on his chest, combined with his minor wounds have caused him to lose so much blood. This we both know take quite a toll on a person but, with his strong ki, he should heal faster." Finally finished with mixing the antidote, Hiko lifted Kenshin's head just enough so that he wouldn't choke on it, and poured it down his throat. That task completed, he lowered Kenshin's head onto the futon and then covered him while answering Surkura's other question, "As for those ninja, they'll find us in about two days since we covered our tracks. However, Kenshin and Karou might not be well enough to fight, so if we try some delaying tactics, then we might be able to slow them down to give my deshi's just enough time to heal and be able to fight.

Nodding, Sukura grinned and replied, "Right. Then, I'll just leave you to watch over these two while I go and set some traps. She was halfway out the door before Hiko could even form a protest but, she paused when she heard his voice, "I'm the Thirteenth Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi.....and not a nursemaid! You take care of them and I'll set up the traps." He grinned and continued," Besides, I know this mountain allot better than you."

Grinning evilly, Surkura continued out the door before he could rise and replied, "Ah, but I'm better at setting traps than you. Remember all of the sparring practice we've done in the past two weeks?"

"Yes," Hiko nodded.

"Do you also remember that we ran all over the mountain while practicing just to make it more challenging? She asked deviously while her grin widened ever so slowly.

Scowling, Hiko reluctantly gave his reply, "Yes. I remember but, what has that got to do with i.....oh." he stopped protesting as the past two weeks ran through his mind and then grimaced. "Ok, so you're just as familiar with the terrain as I am but, be careful."

"Ah, Hiko. If we had known each other longer than the past two weeks, I'd say that you love me but, that is still a question to be answered, ne?" Sukura replied with a wink and a laugh as she strode completely out of sight and into the darkening forest.

"Baka woman," Hiko muttered as he watched her disappear before turning his attention towards his two charges and thought with a sigh of longing, _"She's right but, even though we have not known each other more than two weeks, I think I've falling in love with her anyway." _As the night passed well into the early morning hours, Hiko kept his vigil over his two students and prayed that Kenshin would pull through in time to be able to fight. He also didn't know how strong of a sedative Karou was given, so it could be days before she woke up. If they didn't recover in time, then Hiko knew that Sukura would have to help him defend Kenshin and Karou.

* * *

AN: "Well I hope you liked this chapter because things will be heating up in the next chapter. My plans are for everything to be completed with the next chapter but, it may turn out that I might need to do 17 or 18 chapters just to finish this story.

On another note, I've come up with another Kenshin and Karou story. One, I'm sure that you'll surly enjoy since I've not seen the like anywhere on the internet. I've already got it outlined up to chapter 12. Granted, it needs some polishing and more character developement, not to mention I'm going to need a list of Kenshin's attacks and a list of Southern cities of Japan in the Meji era so that everything is authentic. Also, in the story, Kenshin won't have a split personality and is very good at hiding his darker side. I feel that you'll enjoy it allot.

However, if you wish for me to start writing the new story, I'm taking votes. Should I just finish this story and not start on the next story or would you like to see the prologue of the new story called Of Lost Hope and New Begginnings.

Vote and review!

Sincerely,

D-Chan3


	17. Desperate Measures, part 2

An: "Well here is another chapter for all you loyal readers out there. Oh and for one disgruntled reader, I hope you'll enjoy this one......I'm not going to tell you, but here's a hint....Lemon!!!!!!"

"Anyhoo, I've decided to finish this story before starting another. And the reason why my updates are so slow is because I have a full time job and several other stories that I'm writing as well as this one. So, my apologies. I'll try to write faster now that my writers block has been forced into the trash by beating it over the head with a bokken!"

It makes me smile and know that people are reading my story and enjoying it. Read and review people!

Chapter 15 Desperate Measures, part 2:

Sukura ran across the mountain range like a ghost, swift, silent and deadly. After she had left Hiko's home, she had decided to see just what force they were up against. After all, if their enemies were able to take down two of the best swordsmen of the Mejei era, then she had to see just how skilled they were. Sukura also knew that in not telling Hiko of her plans, she was risking her very life but, she had enough confidence in her skills to get her out of any type of situation; after all, she had been on her own and able to defend herself for the past eighty years. So it was with great skill that she crept closer towards the enemy encampment. Inch by slow inch, she crept upon them, keeping to the shadows to avoid detection until she could see the light of their fires. Several of the men, from what she could see, were engaged in a sparing match. She watched them for several minutes before deciding that she needed more information in order to determine how many traps she would need to set.

Quickly, she took a head count before concentrating on dampening her ki. Sukura decided to use a little known technique called the Umsekken, or silent thief, as it was known. This technique allowed her to disappear from sight, and be able to enter an enemy's camp completely undetected. With a slight push, her visible form wavered and then suddenly, it disappeared. Grinning, she stealthily moved from the trees to the ground and boldly walked directly into the enemies camp. Treading on silent feet, she walked past the three ninja before circling around a tent.

Suddenly, two men stumbled across her path and almost knocked right into her,_"Kuso!"_ she cursed mentally. But, before they collided, she quickly dodged to the right and thought, _"Damn. That was close. If they had managed to touch me then, my cover would have been blown." _Working her way around another campfire and some more ninja's, she silently did a head count of the enemies numbers while continuing her train of thought,_ " two...fifteen...thirty...damn there sure are allot of them....and they would have known that there was an intruder, and would've started searching me,"_ she released an inner sigh of relief when there were no more obstacles in her way, and proceeded towards the center of camp towards the tent that was guarded by more than six red ninja. Sukura watched for a few moments before taking a wild guess, _"That must be where their leader is staying. I've got to get closer. I may be able to hear what they are planning for us. If I can do that, then we'll be better prepared."_

As she neared, she could hear the sound of two men conversing. Moving closer, she put tight constraints upon her fighters ki, while deepening her concentration on the Umsekken. It wouldn't do for her to be caught by those ninja. Sukura knew from past experience that ninja dressed in red were masters of their art and were to be feared. Barely breathing, she circled around to the back of the tent to be able to hear them clearly. Suddenly, her ears perked as a name broke through stillness of the night, "........Battousai must die, Juro. I want his head on a platter since he's managed to decimate some of our number," a low voice rumbled, quietly.

Sukura moved closer, close enough that she could see the lantern light reflecting the shadows of two men upon the tent walls. One of the man, whom she guessed was named, Juro was at the mercy of the taller shadow. The poor sot was dangling six inches off the ground with no hope of release unless his master decided to either kill him or let him go.

"Yes, master. I-I will see to it. It was u-unfortunate that we did not anticipate the Battousai's interference. Onegi, Master, I cannot breathe," a slightly gravely voice choked out.

"Juro, I have given you plenty of chances. I'm inclined to just kill you right now. What makes you think that you will not fail me again?"

"I-I w-will go in person, master. If I die fighting the Battousai then, I die in your service and my honor will be restored," the one as Juro continued to choke out his words. There was a pregnant pause as the one who Juro referred to as Master debated upon his choices. Then, he spoke,"I suppose I should give you another chance but, this is your last one."

Sukura watched as the tall shadow slowly lowered his victim to the ground and released him. Turning around, the one called Master kept his back towards his servant as Juro knelt upon the ground in in a submissive posture and whispered, "Yes, Master. This one will kill both the Battousai and Shadow to restore my honor and standing in your eyes."

"Good. Then go and prepare. You will leave as soon as my scouts have determined where they have hidden themselves," the Master replied. Sukura readied herself to leave as there was a rustle of cloth but, then froze when the one referred to as Master spoke again, "Oh, and Juro?"

"Hai, Master?"

"Do not come back if you fail to kill Shadow and the Battousai, because if you still live then I will kill you personally. And I will not be merciful. I will torture you until your last breath."

There was an audible gulp before Juro gasped out his answer, "Yes, Master."

Sukura shuddered at the sound of malice that, that one voice contained before, she quickly backed away from the tent. Now that she had the information wanted to gather, she left the camp, swiftly. It was time that she set the traps for them to stumble into.

* * *

Dawn was just breaking over the horizon when Sukura paused briefly at an inconspicuous looking clearing and bent down to check on one of the many snares she had set up for their attackers. Grinning in satisfaction, she gently covered it up with loose debris from the forest floor, before moving off in another direction. While she ran, she eyed the terrain for any areas that could be of use and thought,"Hmm, now what else could I use to help me cut down the numbers of ninja...."

Suddenly, she heard a roaring sound in the distance and grinned, "Ah! That's perfect!!" and ran towards the sound. When Sukura judged that she had gotten close enough, she slowed her run to a cautious walk, checking the ground for loose soil along the edge of the cliff; finding just the spot, Sukura turned around to look for a fallen log. Spotting one that was two times her natural girth, she grinned evilly, before jogging towards the log and then began to drag it into position. Once that task was completed, she quickly erased any tell tale marks that the log had been moved. Releasing a sigh of relief, she whipped the sweat from her brow and stretched her aching back muscles before letting her arms flop back to her sides,"Ahhh, I'm exhausted. It was a very long night but, I'm glad that I've set up enough traps to take care of those fifty ninjas."

Turning, Sukura glanced towards the east and smiled as she noticed the first stirrings of bird song. "Well, time to head back. I hope Hiko hasn't worried himself into getting a few gray hairs over his deshi's health. Because if he has then, I'll have to do something about it," she murmured as she headed back towards Hiko's home; her eyes sparkling with an inner mischief.

* * *

Reaching out a hand, Hiko checked how Kenshin was doing and frowned, "Kuso! He's got a high fever. This is not good." Quickly, he left the hut to go to the well and gather some fresh water to help bring down his fever. Lowering the bucket, he waited to hear the tell tale splash before turning the crank with one hand. Once the bucket reached the top, he poured it into the basin sitting by his feet then, he went back inside. Upon entering the main room, he saw Kenshin had begun moaning and thrashing in the midst of delirium. Suddenly he began screaming,"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Kenshin moaned again while his limbs flailed about; it was almost as if he was fighting an imaginary opponent. Then Kenshin screamed again and this time it was filled with the sound of anguish, "KAROU! NOOO!"

"Shimatta!" Hiko cursed, quietly and quickly placed the basin next to Kenshin's bedside, before rummaging in his medicine chest for some willow bark to combat the fever. "I've got to force him to drink this and hope for the best." Hiko murmured. He was worried about his adopted son, and had hoped that Kenshin would not get this sick but, deep down, he had a feeling that the combination of the poison and Kenshin's wounds, would cause him to become very ill. Now, he feared for Kenshin's life. "I hope I administered the antidote to the poison in time. I'll have to wait and see," he murmured as he finished making the tea; pouring it into a cup, he made his way over towards Kenshin's bedside.

"KAROU! DON'T LEAVE ME! ONEGI! DON'T DIE!"

Just as Hiko reached Kenshin's side, Sukura entered the hut at a run, and took in what was happening. Quickly, she knelt down opposite him on Kenshin's other side and yelled loudly to be heard over Kenshin's screaming, "What's happening!?"

"He's running a fever and is deleterious! I have to get him to drink this tea but, I'll need you to hold him down!" Hiko yelled over Kenshin's screams.

Quickly, Sukura grasped Kenshin by the shoulders and pushed with all of her strength, pinning him to the floor and effectively ceasing his violent thrashing. Hiko wasted no time in opening Kenshin's mouth and pouring the mixture down his throat. Within minutes, Kenshin was unconscious; his arms and legs remained at his side like lead weights. Leaning back, Hiko released a sigh of relief and murmured, "Arigato, Sukura. I couldn't have gotten him to drink the tea without your help. Now, his fever will go down and he'll be able to rest and recover."

Sukura released Kenshin to gently place an comforting hand on Hiko's shoulder and replied, "You're welcome. Now, how about we get something to eat?" Seeing the worry clearly written in Hiko's eyes, Sukura moved closer and reaching out with her other hand, she placed it upon his cheek, gently directing his gaze towards hers. Smiling she whispered, "There's nothing more you can do here. Come, join me and if you're good, I'll give you something more than breakfast," as she slowly caressed his cheek to help him take his mind off of Kenshin's health.

Hiko sucked in his breath and murmured,"Really? Well then, what did you have in mind?" With that one gesture, Sukura showed him that she had some feelings for him, and he groaned, mentally. His thoughts took a lavishous turn as he eyed her body. Even clad as she was in loose flowing pants and a gi, she was heating his blood to the point where he had to exert a massive amount of control upon his libido in order to keep from taking her right then and there.

"You'll see. Now come on. Kenshin will be fine, so stop worrying about him," she murmured as she let the way into the kitchen. Hiko wasted no time in following her like an eager puppy; only this time it was his eyes that were glued to the tempting sway of her hips and backside.

* * *

Hiko lay dazed and naked upon the kitchen floor as his thoughts ran over the past events. He really didn't know how it had happened but, in a way he was glad that they had managed to confess their feelings for each other.

_Flashback_

_Hiko walked up behind Sukura to place the bowl in the empty washtub when he accidentally brushed against her backside in a most intimate manner. Sukura moaned and just as he was about to withdraw, she pressed herself more deeply into him. Hiko felt as if a wildfire had ignighted in his veins. Quickly, before he lost his nerves, he kissed the back of her neck,"Sukura?._

_"Hmmm," was here incoherent reply as she gave him better access by tilting her neck to the right._

_"I think....no. I know that I've fallen in love with you but, I don't know if you return my feelings, " he murmured as he allowed his hand to travel down to her hip in a light caress. He had liked how her hand felt upon his cheek, he wanted to run his fingers through her hair but, he was unsure that she'd allow such contact. His doubts were put aside when Sukura managed to turn around in his embrace and quietly murmured one word ,"Baka," before he felt her soft pliant lips connect with his own, and he was lost. Vaguely, he could feel his straigning erection pressing against her stomach. He wanted to rip her clothes off and take her on the floor but, he restrained his passions and gathered his control to release her lips and pant for breath._

_Sukura managed to recover first and grinning in triumph, she replied, "Aishituru, Hiko."_

_"Ashituru, Sukura, Hiko replied, smiling as joy shot through his heart upon hearing her words. His excitement hit new heights as he heard her whisper, "And....I want you." After those words, his passion for her exploded and he captured her lips with his own in a bruising kiss. _

_Before he knew it, she had removed his gi and was pushing his pants down his legs. The feel of her hands upon his body drove him wild, and he released a loud moan of need,"Sukuraaaa." It had been a long time since he was with a woman. Normally, he could control himself but, somehow she managed to unleash his basest desires. Slowly, Hiko reached for the ties on her gi and glancing at her, silently asking for permission and receiving it, he untied it to reveal the treasure hidden within. His mouth suddenly felt dry as he beheld the sight of two luscious mounds of femininity; bending forward, he gave into his desires and began suckling them._

_"Ahhhh" Sukura moaned in delight while grasping his head in her hands and pulling him closer. He continued the sweet torture, switching to her other breast before suddenly, she wanted to feel him inside of her, stretching her and driving her to the ultimate height of pleasure. In one quick move, she had him on the floor and was straddling him, rubbing her dripping, aching core against his length._

_Shuddering at the contact, Hiko's eyes rolled up into their sockets and his control snapped. Quickly, he flipped her over, stripped her of her hakama and buried himself deep inside her with one thrust of his throbbing member. _

_Sukura screamed in ecstasy as she felt him slide home. Her arms automatically reached out to grasp his shoulders and her legs locked around his hips as he began pounding into her at a frantic pace. It was all she could do to hang on as waves and waves of pleasure shot through her system. With each trust of his hips, she screamed out her joy and he responded with his own moans. _

_Hiko panted and gritted his teeth as he felt her tightening around him. He knew that he couldn't hold on for much longer, so he reached behind himself to unlock her legs, and then pushed them over his shoulders to be able to penetrate her deeper, thus giving her more pleasure._

_At the feel of this, Sukura screamed and arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his reach. Hiko growled before gently biting her nipple. This was all the stimuli that Sukura's body could take, and she shattered into a million pieces, screaming out her release, "Aaaaahhhhhhh!"_

_He felt her muscles clamp around him and he let himself go, pounding into her in an almost violent manner as he reached his own peek and released a roar of triumph,"Raaaaaaaaaaaa!"_

_End Flashback_

As Sukura stirred in his embrace, he absently tightened his grasp upon her body and kissed the top of her head, causing her to laugh. He put on a mock frown and growled playfully, "What are you laughing at, koi?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad that we've managed to clear things up and admit our feelings," Sukura replied, smiling as she lifted one arm from his chest and caressed his cheek. "I haven't felt like this in a long time."

Hiko smiled and replied,"Neither have I but, we have to get up and check on Himi-chan and my baka deshi." He frowned as his ki senses picked up the movement of many fighter ki's moving around upon his mountain and coming closer, "Plus, we're going to have unwanted company soon."

Taking the hint, Sukura sighed, stood up and stretched in all her naked glory. Hiko didn't mind the sight and as much as he wanted to have another round of wild love making, he knew that they needed to take care of business first. So he stood up, picked up Sukura's clothes and handed them to her before picking up his own clothes and began dressing.

After that task was completed, they both went into the room were Kenshin and Karou lay. Hiko quickly checked Kenshin's forehead and found that sometime during their bout of lovemaking, his fever had broken and he was now resting and healing. Mentally, he calculated Kenshin's recovery time and smiled,"Koshii, my deshi will be fully recovered in time for our guests to arrive."

Sukura smiled evilly and replied,"Good, because I've set up some surprises for them. And believe me, they won't like it." Hiko gave her a questioning glance which caused her to launch into an explanation of the many traps and pitfalls she had set up all over the mountain as a delaying tactic. When she was finish, Hiko began to laugh. He laughed so hard he was clutching his stomach and grasping the wall for support. Finally gaining some moderate form of control, he grinned and replied, "Now, I know why I love you, you're devious......Aishituru my Koishii."

"Ashituru, my love," Sukura murmured as she kissed him once more.


	18. Recovery

Chapter 16: Recovery

As her awareness of the outside world became known to her, she slowly began to take stock of her body's injuries and mentally grimaced. Her head felt like an oxen had decided to trample it into the ground from the way it was pounding, her muscles screamed from overexertion and her ki reserves were low. There was a throbbing pain in her calf as well as several on her arms from which she remembered receiving the injuries from being attacked by those ninjas. Deciding that she should attempt to open her eyes, Kaoru slowly took a deep breath and cracked open an eyelid; only to slam it closed once more as the morning sun sent shooting pains through her skull. "Arrrrggggg," she moaned, automatically turning her head away from what was causing her pain, then cracking it open again. As her sight adjusted, she was met with a blob of fiery red locks. Blinking her eyes frantically to focus; recognizing it for what it was Kaoru gasped,"Kenshin"

Rolling over, Kaoru winced as all of her aches and pains screamed in protest but, she ignored them as she reached out with a tentative hand to brush a lock of fiery red hair away from Kenshin's face and mused,"Now, why are you here and," her eyes strayed towards his bandaged shoulder and she winced in sympathy at that amount of pain he must be going through,"how did you manage to get hurt." Gingerly, she brushed her hand against the bandages on his shoulder; Kenshin moaned and shifted before stiffening from the pain. "Damn it Kenshin! It's just like you to follow me!" Kaoru clenched her teeth and glared down at his prone form and cursed,"Shimatta!" As she gazed at him, her eyes softened and a caring expression was revealed. "You shouldn't have come after me but, now I can see that you did and as a result, you've gotten hurt protecting me," Kaoru muttered before deciding to see what if any other injuries he had. Carefully she lifted the blanket that covered his body and saw the bandages that were wrapped around his chest and arm and began cursing like a bawdy sailor,"Son of a Bitch! Why the Fuck do you do this to yourself you ahou!"

* * *

Kenshin was awoken from his fitful sleep at the feel of a hand brushing his injured shoulder. At first he did not know where he was or what was going on but, when he remembered what had happened in the forest, he had awoken on full alert and tried to move but, he had stiffened as his nerves were assaulted by an overwhelming amount of pain. It wasn't until he had heard Kaoru speaking that he began to relax. Opening his eyes a crack, he could see just enough of his surroundings to recognize that he was in his masters home and let out a silent sigh of relief, letting all of the tension in his muscles go until he was resting bonelessly upon the futon."I am sorry, Koshii. I wanted answers as to why you left like you did. But, when I saw that you were being attacked...I could not let you die," came the pained whisper. 

Growling in frustration, Kaoru glared at him and practically yelled"I would have told you when I was good and ready! But, I needed to get away to protect you all from my enemy or he would have killed you! I..." she started in surprise at that long awaited word of endearment, Kaoru's gaze whipped up to meet his eyes as she gasped out"W-what did you call me"

Kenshin chuckled at the way her eyes had widened in surprise but, he suddenly gasped as pain shot through his back and chest causing him to hold his breath until the pain lifted. When he was able to get his breath back, he replied"I have been a fool to deny my feelings for you for so long. I guess my master is right when he called me his stupid apprentice. I really am a baka deshi for not realizing my feelings for you. But, I'm willing to let you know about them now...So, I called you Koshii, Kaoru, because I love you and I want you to be my wife. Aishituro, Kaoru."

Joy exploded in her heart and tears threatened to roll down her cheeks but, Kaoru managed to hold them at bay and whispered quietly"Oh, Kenshin. I feel the same way about you too but, my past..."

"Your past does not matter to me, Koshii. We both have blood stained hands and because of our mistakes we are both suffering for it. I have managed to forgive myself and I have forgiven you for keeping your past a secret from me" Kenshin smiled and despite the pain it caused him, he lifted a hand to brush away the tear that had managed to escape and roll down her cheek.

Touched by his words and the amount of truth they held, Kaoru smiled warmly and replied"I'd be more than happy to marry you. Aishituro, Kenshin." Seeing that their small conversation had managed to tire him out, Karou whispered"Now, you should get some more rest" as gently stoked Kenshin's cheek and watched as his eyes drifted shut and his body relaxed into true slumber.

Movement and a slight noise of disgust from the shadows caught her attention; whipping her head around, she focused upon the corner where the movement had come from and tensed, eyes blazing aqua, ready for any attack and called out quietly"Who's there" A sigh was her only answer before the shadow moved again; it appeared to be a very large man and the shape was somehow familiar to her but, she still couldn't make out his features, so she lowered her voice into a menacing growl as her eyes flared aqua and growled"Show yourself"

"Now, now Himi-chan, that's not anyway to treat me...now is it" Hiko replied as he stepped into the light, a small sardonic smile gracing his lips.

"Ak! Uncle Hiko-sama! Sumisen" Kaoru scrambled to reply after she got over the shock of seeing him once more.

"Now how many times have I asked you not to call me that" Hiko mock growled, smiling widely as he knelt down at her side and placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

"Gomen, but, since you found me and nursed me back to health, I consider you part of my family and I respect you. I don't want you to lose your temper with me if I'm disrespectful to you" Kaoru replied, head bowed in a silent apology. Heaving a sigh, Kaoru asked"Um...how long was I unconscious"

Sighing, Hiko leaned back and replied"You've been knocked out for about three days from that dart." He grinned at her while continuing"I know that you consider me family, and you know that I wont get angry with you. Besides, I consider it a joke between us." Shifting his gaze towards Kenshin, he grinned wickedly and teased"I see that you're beginning to start a family of your own now. And by what I just heard, it wont be long before you two have children of your own"

"Shishou" Kaoru wailed in embarrassment; her cheeks flushing a ripe tomato red at his most recent comment about her relationship with Kenshin.

"Ah, I can see it now. Little red heads running around the doujou practicing Hiten Mitsurugi! I'll have more students to train" He grinned mischievously as he watched Kaoru's face get redder and redder.

"Hikoooooo" Kaoru wailed as the amount of her embarrassment hit new levels.

Chuckling, he quickly changed the subject and asked" So, how are you feeling and why in all that's holy did you bring those ninja directly to my doorstep! I thought you managed to hide your trail from them years ago"

Raising her gaze from her lap, her still blazing aqua eyes met those of the thirteen master and she bit her lip and murmured"Gomen-ne. I needed a place where the terrain could be to my advantage...and since I was practically raised here after Kenshin had left for the war...I had decided that this was the best place" Kaoru replied; eyes pleading for understanding.

Seeing it, Kaoru smiled before a frown graced her pretty face"Ummm...Hiko"

"Hmmm"

"Who is that," Kaoru asked as her gaze focused upon the other occupant that had just entered the room.

Glancing behind himself, Hiko grinned and replied,"Why Himi-chan. This is Sukura...my fiancee"

Kenshin picked that exact moment to wake up; his eyes widened to the size of oranges upon hearing that his master now had a fiancee and he exclaimed,"OROOOO!"

Um...h-hello," Karou stammered, shyly. Suddenly, her jaw dropped open in shock as Hiko wrapped his arm around the woman, pulled her close enouth that no space separated them, and then, he proceeded to kiss her senseless. "

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

Hello all!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm not dead…just very, very, very busy with college at the moment. I also work a full time job so that doesn't leave me much time to write. Next semester, starting January 18th, I'm taking 5 classes, yep! 5!

I'm going to have even less time to write. However, I do have some stuff written, but I have deemed it not enough to post for your reading pleasure. So, I'm not going to until I have a sufficient number of pages. Please be patient with me as I do intent to finish the stories I have written. It will just be a little slower than usual.

Sincerely,

D-Chan 3.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 17

As another day dawned upon the group at the Kamaya doujou it was greeted with worried looks from all of the current inhabitants. "Where are they? Why hasn't Kenshin brought Karou back yet?" Yahiko whined as he leaned against the doujou wall, watching the sunrise.

"I'm sure Himura has everything under control," Misao murmured while biting her lower lip. Secretly, she was very worried about Karou and Kenshin. From what Aioshi had told her, the group who were after Karou were very dangerous. She didn't want to worry everyone needlessly.

Growling, Yahiko clenched his teeth together and practically yelled, "What do you know you weasel! You have your family right here with you! All I've got is Kenshin and K…." He froze in mid rant as he realized what he had just let slip past his lips. Suddenly, he scrambled to his feet and slowly made his way out of the doujou as fast as his injuries allowed, deaf to the shouts of his other companions.

"Yahiko come back here!" Sano yelled as he tried to follow the boy, but he didn't get to far when Megumi grabbed his arm.

"Sano, leave the boy be. He's very worried about them. We may think that we're his family, but it's Kenshin and Karou who have been taking care of him since the beginning and I think that Yahiko sees them as his new mother and father figures. Of course you wouldn't be able to tell with the way Karou and Yahiko fight all the time, but I'm sure it is his way of telling her that he loves her," Megumi murmured with a gentle smile.

"Fine," Sano grumbled, defeated at the sight of her smile. Megumi always managed to do that to him. Every time she smiled, he caved. Of course it wasn't that often that she smiled at him. Usually, she hit him over the head with her fist. "I think we should go after Kenshin. It's been several days and he's usually back before now. I'm very worried," Sano explained while rubbing the back of his neck. What do you think, Iceman?"

Aioshi, who during the whole conversation, had sat deep in meditation, cracked open an eyelid and muttered, "I believe that Battousai has everything under control. However, if he is not back by this afternoon, we should go look for them." Finished with his part in the conversation, he closed his eye and continued his meditation, intent upon finding inner peace before the others drove him mad with their incessant complaints.

"Ok! Now that Aioshi-sama has decided that we'll start searching for Kenshin and Karou, I'll go pack the supplies and make sure everything is ready," Misao piped up cheerfully. Turning towards Megumi, she murmured, "I think that Yahiko should stay here with you since he's so badly injured. By the looks of it, he's forcing himself to walk and making it seem like his better. However, I can tell that he's not and if he tries to come with us, he'll injure himself more than he already is."

"I do believe the weasel is right, ohohoho," Megumi quipped before covering her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle her laughter.

"I AM NOT A WEASEL!" Misao yelled angrily. She was so angry at Megumi that she wanted to do her serious injury, but Misao decided that it would be better to take her anger out on some of the bad guys. After all, she would get her revenge upon Megumi later….much, much later. Turning, she stomped off to complete her self-imposed mission.

* * *

Yahiko angrily scrubbed at his tear dampened cheek before glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. It was unlikely that they would, being that he was hiding high up in a tree by the river, but one never knew who would come along. "I can't believe that I said that!" he muttered, sniffling. "Maybe I do consider them my parents since my real mother and father passed away, but I won't forget my real mother and father till the day I die and beyond. I'm a samurai and samurai's don't cry, but…..I can't seem to help these feelings I get!" He quickly whipped away the new tears that had fallen and glanced skyward while muttering, "Kenshin, Karou, where are you?" 

With a heavy heart, Yahiko rested against the trunk of the tree and sighed tiredly. His wound was beginning to throb unmercifully and with the stress of the past few days, his eyes began to close until he had fallen asleep, safe in the crook of the tree.

* * *

Several hours had passed by before anyone at the doujou began to worry about the boy. It wasn't until the sun was well past its high point in the sky that Megumi began to complain, "Sano! Yahiko is still missing. You have to go and look for him!" 

"Stop your complaining, Fox. You were the one who told me to leave him alone. He'll be fine!" Sano growled as he stopped shoveling food into his mouth just long enough to comment. He froze not more that a moment later as he heard Megumi's reply.

"SANO! YOU GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND FIND THAT BOY OR I'LL NEVER, EVER GIVE YOU MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR FREE AGAIN!" Megumi roared, impressively.

"Yes mam," he replied, somewhat scared that his one and only favorite doctor would refuse to see him again. After all, he did have a crush on her and he hoped that one day she would return his feelings. "I'll go look for him now." He placed the half eaten bowl of rice on the table and quickly made his exit, not willing to tempt fate a second time.

Misao eyed the uneaten contents of Sano's lunch and chirped, "Who's up for seconds!"

"I refuse to touch anything that, that rooster head has touched, much less eaten," Aioshi replied, while calmly reaching for some teriyaki chicken. "Besides, he'll be back shortly with the boy."

"How can you tell Aioshi-sama?" Misao inquired, elbow on the table and leaning against her fist.

"I can sense their Ki and both are very close by. Yahiko didn't get far with that injury of his." He paused for a moment while seemingly concentrating on something in the distance before speaking once more, "they are heading this way, now."

* * *

Sano wasted no time in leaving the doujou behind in his quest to find Yahiko. So far he had been to the market, the Akebeko and another of Yahiko's favorite places, but he had no luck in finding the boy. "Man, if I don't come back with that brat, Fox will never, ever see me again. Maybe I should look by the river," Sano muttered as he chewed on a blade of grass. Placing his hands in his pockets, he ambled down the road on his way to the river. Once there, he searched for a few moments before a brief flash of color in the trees alerted him to the presence of a person in the lower branches. 

Making his way over, Sano moved the thick boughs aside and spotted Yahiko, lying in the crook of the tree deeply asleep. Grinning in triumph, he thought, "Maybe I should wake him up….naaa, I think I'll let him sleep. Otherwise, when we leave, he'll want to come along." Then, carefully, as to not wake the sleeping teen, Sano gently lifted him out of the tree and carried him back to the doujou.

It didn't take him long before he arrived at the doujou gates. Glancing towards the sky, Sano absently noted that it was well past noon before he gently nudged the gate open with his foot. Glancing around the yard, Sano noted that the others had not moved from their previous positions, except for Misao, whom he figured, was busy packing for the trip to find Kenshin and Karou. The others noticed him immediately and it was Megumi who made her way over to inspect Yahiko with a worried expression. Seeing this, Sano rolled his eyes and sighed, then whispered, "He's asleep. Can you help me get him into his room. I think he just exhausted himself."

Megumi smiled briefly, and nodded, "Ok," she whispered as she turned and made her way towards Yahiko's room, Sano not far behind her. Once inside, the ex-fighter for hire, gently placed Yahiko on his futon before covering him with a light blanket. He didn't notice the look that Megumi gave him as he did so. If he had looked he would have caught a slight hint of love in her gaze. But, it disappeared just as soon as he moved to stand.

Quickly, Megumi motioned for them to exit the room. Once the shoji door was closed, she walked a short distance before she turned around, smiling, "That was adorable! I didn't know you actually cared about Yahiko so much!" she whispered. Taking a few steps closer, she wrapped her arms around Sano's neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "Thank you for finding him, Sano. I was really worried that he might have done more damage to his wounds. They're not closed yet and that was a pretty bad stab wound."

Sano gulped and squeaked in confusion, "F-f-fox?" on one hand he wanted to return the kiss, but on the other hand, he was afraid that she would knock him senseless for trying. Just as he got up enough nerve to reciprocate, she released him and walked off towards the kitchen. Once she was out of sight, Sano leaned heavily upon one of the porch supports and groaned, "Damn! I almost, almost, but…..she would have and then I would have, but then….aww man! I'm such a coward!"

Once he composed himself, he quickly made his way around the main house towards the gate. Just as he was about to turn another corner, he could hear a slight commotion in the courtyard. As he entered the courtyard, he noticed that Misao stood to one side, with two bags at her feet, while Aioshi slouched against the gate with another sack casually slung over his shoulder. It took Sano a few moments to realize that they had been waiting for him and replied, "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to put the brat to bed."

Misao rolled her eyes and muttered, "Come on, lets go or we'll never find Kenshin and Kaoru before the end of the week." With those words left hanging in the air, the three of them left the doujou to begin the first part of the journey.

"So where are we headed?" Sano asked aloud as he walked beside Aioshi.

Not one for much conversation, Aioshi grunted out one word before he fell silent, "Kyoto."

"Great," Sano replied aloud, while mentally he muttered, _"Oh great, I can tell that this is going to be the most boring trip ever, with the iceman along. Oh, well, at least the weasel girl is hear to liven things up. So if I get bored, I'll just have to tease her instead." _With that thought in mind, Sano placed his hands in his pockets and began to whistle as he walked down the road, his destination being Kyoto and hopefully Kenshin and Karou.

* * *

Due to an overwhelming demand for an update, I've decided to give you this chapter. Just remember that I don't have much time to write as I work and attend College. I'm also attending summer courses, so of course, it means I have less time for anything except studying. After which, I will be attending Kean University here in NJ as a full time student with 5 courses….so, nope, no time to write. 

I will say this though, I WILL TRY TO WRITE MORE. I have not given up…just gotten sidetracked.


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